


Life's Disastrous Winds

by JS Jamesbrooke (Jaywriter)



Series: Life Series [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-25
Updated: 2013-12-28
Packaged: 2018-01-02 14:31:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 64,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1057890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaywriter/pseuds/JS%20Jamesbrooke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Life's Little Surprises. The winds are bringing many changes to lives of Buffy, Faith, and Nevaeh. Will they all make it through?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Party time- October 2004

"Hey, B, you about ready?" Faith called up to the second story, as she began up the stairs in search of her wife. Her left hand ran smoothly over the rail as she turned in that direction at the top of the stairs and headed into their room.

Her breath caught just inside the doorway when she found her wife standing in front of the full length mirror, putting her earrings in. Her spaghetti strap dress was such a dark purple it almost looked black except in the right lighting. Even after all this time, Faith couldn't believe how the blonde could still effect her.

Buffy caught Faith staring at her through the mirror and her face lit up in a smile. "Just about. I know I'm running late as usual."

Faith chuckled and swaggered over to her wife, wrapping her arms lightly around her waist and placing a kiss to her exposed neck. "Good thing it's our party this time, huh? Can't start without us. Well, they can I guess, but… ya know what I mean."

Buffy turned in Faith's arms, placing a light kiss on her lips. "I know what _ya_ mean," she told her, placing emphasis on the 'ya' in a teasing gesture. "I can't believe it's been a year already. Seems like just yesterday."

"I know, can't believe it either."

"Where's our daughter?"

"Dawn already came and got Vaeh, they'll come to the party for a few, then she'll take her back to her room for the night."

Buffy smiled, kissing Faith again. "I have you all to myself for a whole night, whatever will we do?"

"I got some ideas," Faith smirked, wiggling her eyebrows in a teasing manner. "Wouldn't mind getting started on that right now." Before Buffy could respond, Faith kissed her deeply, running her hands down the blonde's back lightly.

When Faith's hands started to wander to the front, Buffy pulled back reluctantly. "Baby, we gotta stop or we'll be late…er than we already are."

"Let's blow it off," Faith muttered, trying to go in for another kiss.

Buffy just laughed, pushing at her shoulders gently. "We can't, it's our party."

"Grr."

"You're so cute when you go all 'grr'," Buffy teased, putting her hands on Faith's chin and wiggling her head slightly. It had taken Faith months to quit swearing all the time, but she'd finally done it. The only downside was, she'd picked up this habit of saying 'grr' in their place. Using her hold, she pulled Faith to her for one more quick kiss. "Come on, sooner we get there, sooner we can sneak out."

"I like how you think."

**~BF~**

Faith and Buffy walked through the doors of the Slayer school gymnasium to see their party was already in full swing without them. "Seems they didn't miss us," Faith joked.

"Mama, Mommy," they heard before they saw their three year old daughter tearing her way through the crowd. "Der's presents," the little girl squealed when she got to them.

Faith knelt down to be face to face with her daughter. "Presents. huh? Awesome."

"Uh huh, but An Dawnie sayed they were for you."

"She did, did she? Well I tell you what, when it's time, we'll let you help us open them up."

The curly haired girl's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Faith smiled at the excitement in her daughter's eyes, "really."

"Yippy!" the tot squealed, dashing back off to find her aunt and tell her.

Faith laughed as she stood back up, wrapping an arm around Buffy's waist, and leaning over to whisper in her ear. "She definitely has your enthusiasm about things," Faith finished by placing a kiss on her wife's ear. _Wife_ , that word never failed to send a tingle down the brunette's body.

Out of the corner of her eye, Buffy caught sight of their daughter making her way back over to them, this time with Dawn in tow. When the twosome were standing in front of them, Dawn leaned down to whisper very quietly in the little girl's ears. With the music playing and all the Slayers around talking, neither Buffy nor Faith could hear what she said.

They didn't have to wait long to figure it out, when their daughter signaled for them to lean down so they could both hear her. They bent down and the girl threw her arms around both of them hugging them tightly. "Happy Anbersary," the youngest Summers smiled, proud of herself for remembering such a big word.

"Thank you, baby," Buffy told her, placing a kiss on her dimpled cheek.

"Yes, thank you," Faith said, copying Buffy.

When they stood, Dawn too wrapped her arms around both of them. "Happy Anniversary, you two."

"Thank you, Dawnie." Buffy hugged her sister to her again. She couldn't believe that her and Faith had not only been married a year today, but how happy they were. And while neither one of them patrolled much anymore, that they were both still alive. Sure they'd had a few fights here and there, but nothing that lasted more than a day. And they both really enjoyed the making up part.

A song started up that Faith loved, so she dragged Buffy away from her sister and over to where the dance floor had been set up and pulled her close, dancing slowly. They stayed out on the floor through several songs, thanking people kindly that came up to them and wished them a happy anniversary, but didn't stop dancing.

That is until Willow, with Nevaeh in her arms, got up on the small stage and headed over to the microphone. "This little girl here is getting antsy for the presents," she told the crowd, getting a laugh from everyone. "But first she has something to say."

Willow held the three year old up so she was level with the microphone and began to whisper in the girl's ear what to say. Vaeh scrunched up her nose in intense concentration. "Happy Anbersary to Mommy and Mama. I love you. Presents now?" the little girl asked on her own after her auntie Willow stopped whispering, drawing a second laugh from everyone.

Willow put the girl down, stepping up to the mic herself. "Happy Anniversary to Buffy and Faith. Doesn't seem like a year already since we all watched you walk down the aisle. I'm so happy you found each other, and I wish you all the continued happiness in the world. I love you both."

Faith watched Buffy as her eyes glazed over with unshed tears. She wrapped an arm around the smaller girl, pulling her close to her body. She placed a light kiss on a soft cheek, slowly leading her over to where the presents were set up, as everyone gathered around.

Nevaeh sat between her mothers helping them open their presents. Most were small keepsakes to commemorate their first year together, or something for the whole family. But they had to make a pile of "open when you're alone" presents. Faith couldn't wait to dig into that pile, but knew it wasn't the time when their daughter was in the room.

After they were all opened they pulled out the food. A room full of Slayers guaranteed the food wouldn't last long, whether it was the mini sandwiches or the cake, all was gone quickly. The real partying would begin once Nevaeh had gone to bed.

They didn't have to wait long, the little girl's head started to wobble as she tried to make her way through her dinner plate. She'd barely touched her cake before Faith had to catch her from landing face first into the plate. Both mothers gave her a kiss and hug goodnight, but the toddler was all but asleep at that point and barely noticed when they handed her to Dawn.

Buffy watched as Dawn left with her daughter and saw Kennedy move to walk with them. Every now and then she'd get little suspicions in her head, but when Dawn never said anything, she'd try to forget them.

"What's up, B?" Faith asked, noticing the look on Buffy's face.

"Do you think…" she trailed off.

"Do I think what?"

"Never mind, I'm probably just imagining it." Buffy waved her hand as if to say it was nothing, and Faith dropped it.

"Want me to get you a drink?"

"Sure, I'll take some champagne."

Faith made a face at that, but went off to get them both a drink. It was a night to celebrate and knowing their kid was safely tucked away at her aunt's place, she was gonna have some fun now. She drank more before she was legal, than she had since she turned twenty-one. Having a kid made it hard to just let go like she had before, but she wouldn't trade Nevaeh for the world.

They drank, they danced, they laughed, and in between that Faith would try and sneak in a few gropes of her wife. She was so excited about tonight. She couldn't remember the last time she had Buffy to herself all night, probably not since their small honeymoon.

If she wasn't a Slayer, she'd be three sheets to the wind by now, but she was only buzzed at this point. But it was making her incredibly horny. Or maybe it was just watching her wife walk around in that tight dress.

Buffy's back was to her as she talked to her friends, but she knew the other girl would be able to feel her as she moved closer. Their connection had only grown stronger as time went by, this especially seemed true each time they made love. Almost as if their physical connection strengthened their slayer bond. They never had to speak when they were intimate, it was like, just by touching each other they could feel exactly what the other was feeling.

Faith loved every minute of that.

When she got to Buffy, she turned her around and wrapped her arms tightly around her, kissing her lips, neck and suckling on her ear. "I want you," she whispered huskily.

Buffy whimpered when she felt Faith's mouth tug on her ear. "Alright, let's say our goodbyes."

Faith unhooked her arms, but took one of Buffy's hands in her own entwining their fingers together. The younger woman let her wife do all the talking as they said their goodbyes, knowing if she spoke, every Slayer in the room would know exactly how she was feeling.

Soon as they left the doors of the gymnasium, Faith pulled on Buffy's hand, keeping them at a run, as they made their way towards their three bedroom house at the back of the compound. It was a good thing they hardly ever locked their front door, only doing so when they went to bed at night. If they had, they would have had to replace it as Faith didn't have the patience to mess with the lock.

As soon as they were in the house, Faith pinned the smaller girl to the back of the door, kissing her desperately. Buffy's mouth opened automatically to grant Faith's tongue access inside. Fingers made their way under the straps of Buffy's dress, pushing them off her shoulders and within seconds Buffy was standing there in a pair of lacy black panties and bra.

Not wanting to be alone in her state of undress, Buffy's fingers began working on the buttons of Faith's black collared shirt. While neither believed the stereotype that one of them had to be more butch or more feminine, Buffy did love it when Faith wore these shirts. She enjoyed making her way down the buttons, slowly freeing Faith from her clothed prison. Pushing the shirt off Faith's shoulders, she also enjoyed it when the brunette failed to wear a bra, giving her easy access to the breasts she'd come to enjoy. Grabbing onto her prize, Buffy played with both nipples, as their tongues continued to dance with each other.

Faith's hands found Buffy's hips and gently pulled them over towards the living room. When her own knees hit the back of the couch, she sat down, guiding Buffy to straddle her lap. Her hands found their way to stroke Buffy's center through her panties.

"Buffy," she whispered when they finally came up for air. That one word was all it took for the blonde to know exactly what Faith wanted. She stood up and slipped the panties off, but when she reached for the bra, Faith held her hand up to stop her. "Leave it, it's sexy."

Faith reached for slim hips once again, pulling Buffy back onto the couch, positioning her so that the blonde had to hold herself up using the back of the couch. This put her in just the right spot for Faith to do what she'd been longing to do all night long.

The brunette Slayer took in the smell of her wife before dipping her face in to take a lick. That was all it took for Faith to really dig in and devour every inch of Buffy's hot center. Buffy held tight to the top of the couch, keeping herself upright, when all she wanted was to just let go.

"Faith, baby, mmm, so good," she moaned, her head rolling back in utter bliss.

Faith took her cues and knew exactly when Buffy wanted her to do it harder. No words were ever needed when they got to this point. She could feel Buffy's needs and slammed two fingers inside of her, finding her g-spot almost instantly.

It was like an echo in her head as Buffy screamed her name. Too lost in bliss to vocalize anything. As soon as Buffy started to cum, she slowed down, drawing out the orgasm. She pulled her fingers out, holding on to Buffy to lay her across the couch, knowing the blonde was losing her ability to hold herself up, and cuddle into her as she came down from her high.

When Buffy finally opened her eyes again, she found those eyes she loved so much staring into her own. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hi," Faith smiled, kissing her lightly on the lips.

They laid there forever, time had no meaning right then, just touching each other gently and enjoying having the other near.

Hours later, they had finally made it to their room and made love for several more rounds before deciding they were both sufficiently satisfied. They also finally got around to exchanging gifts with each other.

Buffy had given Faith her own camera, laptop and photo printer. They had replaced Buffy's own camera shortly after getting to Cleveland, and Faith had become obsessed with stealing it and taking as many pictures of their family as she could. Determined to leave the memories she never had for Nevaeh.

Faith had given Buffy a necklace with three heart shaped charms, two large and one small nestled between them. Each heart had one of their birth stones on it. "I figure if we have any more kids, we could just get a new charm made and place it next to Nevaeh's."

Buffy smiled, loving the idea. They hadn't really talked about having any more kids since their wedding night. They both knew they wanted a little time with just the three of them to settle into family life.

"And about that," Faith continued, "I was thinking, maybe we could start thinking about making that happen too."

"Really?" Buffy asked, shocked. They had both been open to the idea, but Buffy had always thought that when it got to be that time, she'd have to be the one to bring it up.

"Yeah, I mean Vaeh's already three, I don't want them to be too far apart."

"I'm ready whenever you are," Buffy told her honestly. She loved Nevaeh more than she could imagine, but she was excited about possibly carrying their child this time.

"I'm ready."

Buffy leaned over kissing her. "We'll talk to Willow, see if we can make it happen." Buffy kissed her again deeply. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Exhausted it didn't take long before they both felt their eyes closing, snuggled close together.


	2. Sharing One's Burdens- October 04

Faint light coming in through the window, shining in her eyes, woke Faith from an almost dreamless sleep. Pushing sweaty hair off her face, she kept her eyes closed for a second longer, not ready to face the morning. The room was stiflingly hot, so she threw the covers off and let the air cool her body off as she slowly opened her eyes.

She tried to shake the fogginess from her eyes, but still a bit of confusion lingered when she saw the light blue wall just inches away from her feet. Lifting her head just enough to get a better look, she realized why the wall was where it wasn't supposed to be. Sometime during one of their many rounds of love-making the night before, the two women must have fallen asleep on the wrong end of the bed.

Faith couldn't help but think how incredible the night before had been. Of course every time with Buffy was amazing, but it only seemed to get better and better. And she loved every minute of it.

It wasn't until Buffy that she had really understood what sex was really about. She'd always thought it was just about the fun, and the release. While her and Buffy had plenty of that, the blonde had proven to be quite adventurous every now and again as well. She also knew that it was about the intimacy, about connecting to another person on a deeper level. They showed their love for each other physically as well as verbally.

She felt a shiver along her body and at first believed it was a physical reaction to her thoughts about her wife, but then she realized when she'd thrown the covers off herself, she'd left Buffy exposed. The beauty was cuddled into her side, with an arm across Faith's stomach. Just like their daughter, no matter how hot it was in the room, Buffy always got cold when she was naked.

Not wanting to wake her lover, she reached for the blanket and pulled it up so it was once again covering Buffy and then pulled her deeper into her own body. Being married was turning her into a sap, but she wouldn't give up the feeling of having her wife so close to her for anything. She loved knowing she could touch Buffy anytime she wanted.

Placing a kiss to the top of the blonde locks, she turned just enough to get more comfortable, and tried to force herself to go back to sleep. It wasn't often she woke before Buffy, and she just wanted to enjoy this feeling a little longer, before they had to get up and go get Nevaeh from Dawn's.

**~BF~**

It was more than two hours later before Buffy herself started to wake up. She stretched and gently nudged Faith awake. She leaned over the brunette, pressing a deep kiss to Faith's lips. "Time to get up, baby. If you hurry, we can share a shower before we go get our daughter."

As much as Faith didn't want to get up and return to their life, sharing a shower held appeal, so she threw the covers off and followed her wife into their bathroom. She let Buffy set the temperature of the water, while she brushed her teeth. Experience had taught her she could never get it hot enough for the older woman. Between her childhood showers and later in prison, she could get by on lukewarm showers, but her wife liked it hot enough that it turned your skin a slight shade of red.

While washing Buffy's hair and body was incredibly sensual, Faith also enjoyed it because it was a way for her to take care of the woman who held her heart. Although she'd never admit it to anyone.

They were both so young by the world's standards. Neither woman had even hit her mid-twenties yet, only twenty-one and twenty- three respectfully, but they loved each other more deeply than some couples, who had been together twenty or more years.

After they were both sufficiently clean and satisfied, Faith stepped out first, grabbing the blanket sized towel they'd found at an outlet store. Putting it around herself, Faith held the ends open. As soon as Buffy was standing in front of her, she closed the towel around them both, hugging the smaller girl to her.

Buffy curled into Faith, letting the warmth of their bodies dry each other, while Faith's hands went to work drying Buffy's back with the ends of the towel. Faith leaned down to place a light kiss on Buffy's forehead, loving these quiet moments together.

"I love you," Buffy whispered into the taller girl's neck, placing a kiss to the skin underneath her. "I love you so much," she repeated, wrapping her arms around Faith's waist, who followed by wrapping her own around Buffy outside their little warm cocoon. "You amaze me every day, in ways I never would have believed possible when we met. I could never thank you enough for our daughter, and I couldn't imagine my life without you."

Faith sniffled back tears, laying her head lovingly on top of Buffy's. She didn't know what brought on this sudden emotion from her love, but she couldn't deny all the emotion that was flowing through her now from those simple words. She never would have thought she'd deserve someone like Buffy, but somehow they'd found each other anyway. "I love you too, more than I could ever tell you. And I thank the Powers that Be everyday for sending you into my life and for loving me."

After their tender moment in the bathroom, it took them more time than usual to get dressed because neither of them wanted to stop touching the other. Not in a sexual, need to have you way. But in a tender, I don't want to be apart from you way.

As soon as they were outside their front door, Faith grasped Buffy's hand, entwining their fingers and holding on tightly as they slowly made their way over to the dorms. Several times she stopped to place a kiss to a cheek or to their clasped hands. Wanting to hold on to the magic of the night and their anniversary.

But as much as they both enjoyed their night alone, which was something they never got to have, they were both eager to have their daughter back in their presence. Neither woman felt quite right without their little girl. She was what made their little family whole.

Before Buffy could knock on Dawn's door, Faith turned her wife to her, placing a light kiss to her lips.

The knock was barely heard before the door was thrown open. "Mama, Mommy, I've been waiting FOREBER for you to get here," the little girl told her mothers.

"We're sorry, baby," Buffy told the curly haired little girl, as she picked her up. "We slept in this morning, we just woke up."

"I've been awake for hours," Vaeh said dramatically, emphasizing the 'hours'. "And An Dawn gabed me a poptart for bekfast." The tot finished her sentence by rolling her eyes.

Faith gave Dawn an 'are you serious' look, but the young Summers just shrugged her shoulders. "Come on, munchkin," Faith said, taking her daughter from her wife. "Let's go get you some lunch at the cafeteria. Then we get to go see Aunt Willow."

"Yay!"

Faith couldn't stop shaking her head in an 'I can't believe it' way as they made their way towards the Slayer school cafeteria. "A poptart, B?" She burst out several minutes later.

Buffy had been thinking the same thing. Dawn hadn't lived with the tyke for over a year, but she should have known better.

"Our baby is probably starving," Faith continued. Vaeh just nodded her head into Faith's shoulder in agreement. "She's a Slayer for crying out loud, a tiny, hyper Slayer."

"I know, I don't know what she was thinking either. I'll talk to her later."

"She's never baby-sitting again if she doesn't even know how to feed our kid."

Buffy put a hand on Faith's shoulder. "Calm down, baby, I'll talk to her. And Nevaeh's no worse for the wear. We'll just give her a big lunch."

They made it to the cafeteria just before it closed for lunch. Faith carried her and Nevaeh's plates, while Buffy carried her own, using her free hand to place whatever anyone wanted on the correct plate. She was never so glad they'd decided to have a buffet style cafeteria when they'd set the school up.

They still had a menu and different things every day, but at least there was always plenty to choose from. And also it helped ensure there was enough food around to feed all the Slayers on the premises. While they had employed several full-time cooks, each student at the school was also required to spend so many hours a month in the kitchen to help out and also give them a sense of responsibility for themselves.

The small Summers family found a table and began to eat their lunch. Since Nevaeh already had the Summers name, Faith decided after their wedding to change her name as well, tying them all together as a family. Probably the best part about getting married, was finally getting to get rid of her bastard father's last name.

Although she knew she'd never entirely get rid of it. While the world outside knew of her only as Faith Summers now. Inside these walls the Lehane name stuck around, for reasons of history only. Each Slayer-in-training had to take classes on the history of the Slayer line, so in that sense the name would forever be around.

Every now and then one of the students would slip and call her Mrs. Lehane, but she'd give them a look and they'd quickly realize their mistake and correct themselves. She hoped in time the girls here would only think of that name as a name in a text book and not outwardly associate it with her.

When they were all done, the brunette stood up and grabbed all three of their plates and headed over to put them in the dirty dishes bin. When she returned to their table, she found Buffy unsuccessfully still trying to get the food off Nevaeh's shirt. "Just leave it, B."

"But she's dirty," the blonde whined.

"She's three, no one is gonna care." This was a small argument they had all the time. She understood why Buffy wanted their daughter to always appear clean, but she also knew that kids get dirty. It wasn't like they neglected her. She got a bath every night so she didn't go to bed dirty. Not like Faith when she was that young, where the dirt literally clung to her skin.

And she'd NEVER know what that was like. Their baby was cared for and she was loved. She got to wear clean clothes every day. She got put to bed every night by one or both of her mothers. She was given hugs and kisses every day. She was told she was loved every chance they got.

"Faith, let's take her home for an n.a.p," Buffy spelled out the word, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"But what about our talk with Willow?"

"I'll call and invite her over to dinner later. You went somewhere just now and I think we should go home and talk about it."

Not much more than a year ago those words would have sent Faith running. But Faith Summers didn't run, she stayed and she talked to her wife when something was bothering her. The Chosen Two had gotten a lot better at communicating with each other since they got together. No more did they lash out at the other or use violence toward the other.

"Yeah, alright."

Nevaeh threw a fit when she realized they were going home and not to Aunt Willow's as promised. So before they could get her to lay down for her nap, they had to call Willow and then assure her that she would be coming over later, and so would Aunt Tara.

"I will never understand the bond those two have," Faith told Buffy once they'd finally gotten Nevaeh to go to sleep.

"Willow's easy to love."

"I guess," Faith just shrugged.

Grabbing her wife's hand, Buffy led Faith into their room. She guided the brunette to sit on their bed and after slipping her shoes off and kicking them under the mattress, settled in beside her. "So, tell me what was going on earlier."

"I dunno, just more childhood crap."

Buffy sighed, putting a gentle hand to Faith's cheek. "Talk to me. You can tell me anything. Nothing will change how I feel about you."

"I know that. And we've talked some, but it's just so hard."

"I know it is, but that's what I'm here for. To help take the burden."

Faith took a deep breath in, gathering her thoughts. "Seeing you with Nevaeh, it just shows me everything I didn't have. My mother didn't even make sure I got a bath once a week, much less make sure I was clean after every meal. I understand why you want her to be in clean clothes all the time. But I think a little food on her clothes isn't gonna hurt her any. Because I know what it's like to have more than that, to wear clothes that you couldn't remember the last time they were washed was," She paused, trying to keep out of the memories, but explain to Buffy how she saw things.

"All that stuff doesn't matter to me, because I know at the end of the day we are going to give her a bath, tuck her into a nice clean bed, give her hugs and kisses, and tell her we love her. That's what truly matters. What matters is her having the childhood I never got."

The tears in Buffy's eyes were apparent when Faith looked at her wife's face. She knew the other girl was feeling everything she was feeling. They always did anyway, but when they touched like this, everything the other one was feeling was more than an echo, it was like their own emotion filling their body.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I wish I could smack both your parents upside the head," she said with such conviction, Faith was sure she meant more than a little smack. "I know it doesn't mean much, but if Mom were still alive, she would have loved having you in our family. She would have treated you just like her daughter. She loved Nevaeh and I know she would have loved seeing us married." She didn't know how she knew that, but she just did. Her mother would have seen their marriage, their being together as her daughter finally having a family neither one of them thought she'd have. It wouldn't have mattered that Faith was a woman, or even what had happened in their past. Only that Nevaeh's parents were together and they were a family.

"It means everything, B. Your mother was an amazing person. I would have been proud to call her Mom."

"She would have loved that. I think even through all the crap, she still wanted to see you happy. When Vaeh showed up, I know she really hurt for you. She couldn't imagine a mother being away from her child like that."

Faith had nothing to say to that. That was a time she didn't like to think about. But if it hadn't have happened, she wouldn't have her family now. So instead, she placed a kiss on top of her wife's head and then slid them down so they were lying in each other's arms. They stayed there staring into each other's eyes until they eventually both fell asleep in a much needed nap.


	3. Announcements- October 04

Buffy stirred the sauce gently before walking over to the drawer and pulling out a clean spoon. Scooping up just enough of the sauce, she checked to see if it was warm enough and tasted just right. Licking her lips, she decided it was just perfect, just the way Nevaeh and Faith loved it. She wasn't a huge fan of spaghetti, but her girls loved it, so she was constantly making it for dinner to please them. It was a small price to pay to watch that look on their faces as they took that first bite.

Checking to make sure the handle on the pan wasn't too hot, she lifted it up, pouring the sauce onto the noodles that sat fully cooked on another burner. Dumping the now empty pan in the sink, she filled it with water to keep it moist until she could rinse it and put it in the dishwasher, before turning back to the stove. With a wooden spoon, she stirred the sauce into the noodles, making sure it was all thoroughly mixed, before turning it down to low.

It shouldn't be too long before Willow and Tara got there, but just to be sure, she wanted to keep the food nice and warm.

One final glance told her everything was ready, so she wandered into the living room to find her wife and daughter lounging on the couch watching cartoons, Vaeh leaning against Faith's side with her mother's arm wrapped around her lightly. Buffy smiled at the picture they made, before taking a seat on Faith's other side, curling into her.

Without having to even look, Vaeh felt her Mom join them on the couch and without ever taking her eyes off the TV, she easily crawled across both their laps so that her head was resting on Buffy's chest and her little legs stretched across Faith's lap, something she always did when the three of them watched TV together.

Living inside her Mama for nine months, she was very familiar with her Mama's heart, but she needed the physical reminder that Mommy was hers too, which is why subconsciously she always laid her head over Buffy's. When they sat like this, the little girl could swear she could feel all three of them beating in time with each other, but she was too little to understand it.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught her Mama staring at her Mommy, before the latter turned and they shared a gentle kiss. Something they also did often when they sat like this. She might only be three, but she could see how much her mothers loved each other.

"Is Red and Tara gonna be here soon? I'm starving and it smells delicious," Faith finished by licking her lips.

"You're always starving." Buffy just laughed at her wife. "You'd think I never feed you."

"I'm a growing Slayer."

"Honey, you haven't been a _growing_ Slayer in many years," she laughed again at her partner's antics, putting emphasis on the growing part.

Just when Faith was about to start whining, they heard the door open. Old Sunnydale habits die hard, which led to a few embarrassing moments when one of their friends would stop by and find Faith and Buffy in compromising positions, but that didn't stop anyone from still walking in.

"We brought dessert," Willow called out, as they headed into the living room. In her hand she held a plate of brownies that were clearly homemade. What people didn't realize was Tara was an amazing cook, especially when it came to baking. She'd been accused a few times of using magic because her food tasted too good. At least by those who didn't know she didn't believe in using magic for such things.

"So, did you have a good anniversary?" Willow asked, once they were all seated at the table. The food began to slowly make its way around as everyone scooped out what they wanted.

Faith and Buffy exchanged a look and a smirk. "Yes, it was amazing," Buffy finally answered when she was able to tear her eyes off the brunette. She went back to scooping small portions for Nevaeh who was sitting next to her, and then to a larger portion for herself.

Checking one last time that the lid was tightly closed on Vaeh's Disney princess straw cup and her bib was fastened tightly, she was happy to see it was. Before she let the little girl begin eating, she made sure the bib was on right, after all spaghetti sauce was no fun to get out of clothes of any color. When she was a baby they'd just strip her down to her diaper for any messy meal, but that didn't work so well now that she was older and potty trained.

"I can't believe it's already been a year since your wedding," Tara spoke up.

"Seems like just yesterday," Faith agreed, reaching for Buffy's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Me was da fower girl," Vaeh piped in, not wanting to be left out.

"Yes, and you were such a cute little flower girl," Buffy told her, placing a kiss in her brown curls.

"I pwitty, like Mama."

"Yes, even more so, kiddo," Faith told her daughter this time.

The little girl then turned to Willow and Tara as if looking for their opinions as well.

"You're more beautiful than both your mothers," Willow assured her. Which made Vaeh beam with pride.

When the meal was over and the dishes were cleared, the women each grabbed themselves a brownie and made their way into the living room to just relax. Buffy sat a plate down on the coffee table for Nevaeh, making it clear she was to eat that there and nowhere else in the house.

"So, not that we don't love spending time with you all, but I don't think that's why you invited us over."

Buffy looked at Faith first before answering Willow. She wanted to make sure they were both sure about this. Sure, Faith was the one to bring it up the night before, but she could have changed her mind since then. And she would be just fine with that, she honestly would. She loved the family they had now, but a part of her would always want another baby. To be able to see their child's life from the start, and for Faith to see it all as well.

Their hands were linked, so a look was all it took for Faith to know exactly what Buffy was thinking. She could feel all of it as if it was happening inside her own mind. She gave a slight nod, encouraging Buffy to go ahead.

Buffy just gave her own nod, before turning to look in Willow and Tara's direction. "We actually wanted to ask you if you could help us with something, of the magical sort."

The redhead didn't agree right away. Going to this much trouble, she knew her friends weren't asking for something small. She was still trying to be very careful about using too much magic if she didn't have to, having gotten so close to almost succumbing to letting the power overtake her a few years ago.

"It's okay if you can't, we'll figure something else out if we have to," Buffy assured her friend after seeing the fight going on within the witch's mind.

Willow shrugged, shaking herself out of her own mind. "What did you want to ask?"

"We were hoping you could help us, well me, get pregnant."

"You want another baby?" Tara asked with a little bit of awe in her voice.

Buffy smiled brightly, "We do."

"That's so awesome," the blonde witch smiled with her.

"So I'm assuming you want to see if I can create a baby that's both of yours, much like Nevaeh, but without the uh…" Willow paused, not wanting to say such an icky word in front of Nevaeh. "Sperm," she finally whispered, glancing briefly at the little girl who had moved to the corner of the living room where her toy box was.

"That would be the most ideal, yes," Buffy answered. She turned to her wife then. They hadn't really had time to discuss the possibilities of how it would all have to work out. They just knew they wanted another little person in their family that belonged to both of them.

"If we had to find a donor and have you do something similar to Vaeh's conception that would be fine too," Faith said, still looking at Buffy but talking to Willow. "I'm sure we could get like Xander to help out," she joked.

"It's not really important to us how they get here, just so long as they are both ours," Buffy finished for her wife. "I mean ideally," she added quickly. She didn't want Willow to feel like she had to do this for them. "If it can't be done, we'll just have to go a more human route."

"Well I certainly can't make you any promises, but I'll start looking into it for you. And you're going to have to be patient. I've been looking more into Nevaeh's conception since we discovered her parentage, but there are still parts I'm not entirely sure about just yet." Willow stopped to take a breath, letting that sink in. "What I'm trying to say is just that this isn't something we can do tomorrow. It's going to take some time before I even have answers for you."

"That's fine, and we really appreciate it, Will, really we do." The blonde Slayer got up and walked over to her friend to give her a hug. "And no pressure alright? If it can't be done, then we'll figure something else out."

"Okay, no pressure," she assured the wives she understood what they were telling her. "Oh, I've been meaning to tell you as well. In my digging I think our theory was a little off concerning Vaeh's existence."

"What do you mean?" Buffy almost stuttered, slightly fearful that she was gonna say Nevaeh wasn't hers like they thought. But no that couldn't be, because Willow had just talked about that in reference to their new baby.

"I believe now, that it's possible that she is even more yours than we originally thought. That the uh…sperm," she whispered again, almost if she was afraid of the word, and it took everything in both Slayers not to laugh. "fertilized the egg and that's as far as it went. Most everything after that came from you Buffy."

"That would actually explain a lot, especially that damn…I mean dern pout," Faith quickly corrected.

"Hey," Buffy half yelled, smacking Faith on the shoulder, "I don't pout," she finished, disproving her point as she did so.

"Sure you don't, baby. Just like you're not pouting now," Faith smiled, hugging Buffy close to her and kissing her on the top of her head.

"I'm not," Buffy huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, but leaning more into Faith as she did so.

"Let's just hope the new baby doesn't get it too or I'll be doomed." Buffy just rolled her eyes conceding to the fact that she wasn't winning this one. "I love you," Faith whispered in her ear before kissing her lightly on the lips. "And I love your pout."

"Alright, before you two start going at it…"

"Hey!" Buffy yelled interrupting Willow. "We wouldn't do that, and I can't believe you said that!"

"You so would. Anyway as I was saying, we're glad you called us over here because we have something to tell you too."

The Chosen Two both turned to give them their full attention. "Go on," Buffy encouraged when neither witch said anything.

"We're getting married!" Willow squealed.

"Willow proposed, and I said yes," Tara elaborated.

"I know it was probably about time. I mean we've been together for longer than you guys have, but then you have Nevaeh, so it made sense that you guys get married. And we just wanted to make sure, I mean we're sure, but we weren't in any hurry…"

"Willow, breathe," Buffy told the rambling girl to get her to stop. "This is awesome! When did it happen?"

"A few nights ago," Tara quickly answered so Willow didn't have a chance to get into another ramble.

"Why didn't you say anything last night?"

"It was your night. We didn't want to take the attention away from you two," Willow told her friend honestly.

"We still would have been happy for you. But thank you. Oh and Congratulations!" She half yelled moving again from her spot next to Faith to wrap both women in a hug. "I can't wait to help you get started on planning the wedding," she squealed.

Faith just rolled her eyes, these next few months were going to be exhausting.


	4. Birthdays- December 04

The house was dark as Faith crept inside. It was long past Nevaeh’s bedtime, and it seemed Buffy had headed up as well instead of waiting up for her. Not that she blamed the blonde, they’d had an exhausting weekend, and their almost four year old daughter could be a handful when she wanted to be.

Kicking off her shoes and leaving them next to the door, she headed up the stairs in sock covered feet to be as quiet as possible. Even sound asleep Buffy would likely still hear or feel her, but luckily Vaeh wasn’t that tuned into the Slayer yet. Stopping first into her daughter’s room, she placed a gentle kiss on the little girl’s forehead, whispering a ‘sleep tight’ to her.

As she watched as her child slept, her mind wandered. She hated every night she wasn’t home to put their little girl to bed. At the same time, she wasn’t like B, she couldn’t just not patrol every once in a while, and she knew it was important that she take the younger generation out to learn and gain experience. The only nice thing was she always got weekends off. She made it clear to everyone that weekends were time for her to spend with her family.

Buffy had for the most part retired from active duty, as it were. She taught classes and shared her experiences, but she no longer patrolled unless she was needed for some reason. She accepted that she’d never have a completely normal life long ago, but since they’d gotten married, she wanted to try. For their daughter as well as herself. They joked that she was the stay-at-home mom, while Faith was the working dad.

Assured that Nevaeh was sound asleep and safe, Faith made her way to her own room. Buffy’s breathing told her she was only lightly dozing, something she did when she was tired, but was waiting for Faith to get home.

The brunette quickly got ready for bed, before slipping in between the sheets and pulling Buffy into her side. She always felt better, and slept more deeply when her wife was tucked into her.

“You’re home,” she felt more than heard mumbled into her shoulder.

Leaning down, she placed a lingering kiss on the blonde’s smooth forehead. “I am.”

“Good,” was almost yawned.

“Go back to sleep, B.”

Buffy nuzzled her head over Faith’s shoulder a few times before finally opening her eyes and looking up into Faith’s own. “No, I wanna talk.”

“Talk, about what?”

“Anything. I missed you today.”

“I always miss you,” she whispered into golden hair, placing another kiss into the locks. She couldn’t help herself, she was always kissing Buffy somewhere.

When silence descended upon them, she figured out quickly that Buffy didn’t want to talk so much as she wanted Faith to talk to her. Her wife loved it when she told her things, didn’t matter what it was, she just loved hearing Faith’s voice she’d once told her. And there had been something on her mind lately that she hadn’t had the time to share.

“Do you know why I came to Sunnydale?”

“Because Kakistos was after you?” Buffy teased.

“Well yeah,” Faith acknowledged. “I mean that’s why I left Boston, but if I just wanted to get lost I would have hit New York or something.”

“So why’d you choose Sunnydale?” Buffy asked, suddenly interested. They’d never talked about that first meeting and for the most part, she never really thought about it. Mostly because the two women they were now, who loved each other, were so far removed from the scared teenagers they’d been back then.

“You, B,” Faith said, moving her head almost as if she was using it to point to the other Slayer. “You weren’t the oldest Slayer to live yet, but my Watcher couldn’t stop talking about how it was looking like you would be, as well as the greatest Slayer to ever live. As much as she seemed to care about me, she was like… your biggest fan.”

Faith paused, taking a breath. “So, a part of me was jealous and had to see if you were really as amazing as she said. Part of me, the cocky part, wanted to prove I was better than you. But the part I would never have admitted to was that I wanted to learn from you.

“I ended up screwing it all up anyway. When…” she stopped, sucking back the tears that threatened to fall. Seeing this, Buffy scooted up, changing their positions so she was now holding the younger woman, comforting her, letting her know it was okay to go on.

“When I killed Finch, I felt it, just as you did. But I couldn’t let it out, so I held it inside. Admitting it, would make me weak, and I couldn’t be weak in front of you. I didn’t understand what that decision would do to me. How much it would destroy me.”

Buffy’s heart ached for the kid Faith had been. She’d needed so much from them back then. But they weren’t adults, they weren’t psychologists, they were all just teenagers who barely thought past themselves. And it almost cost Faith everything. She placed a kiss into Faith’s hair, and then another, and another, trying to take her pain away. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Yes I do. We failed you back then. I failed you.”

“Sometimes I wish I could go back and change all it. You think we might have had a chance then?”

“No I don’t,” Buffy told her honestly. “Do I wish the incident with Finch never happened? Sure, no one deserved to die like that. But I wouldn’t purposely change it. We wouldn’t have Nevaeh, and without her, I don’t think we’d have ever gotten together.”

Faith looked at Buffy, trying not to be upset at the idea of them never getting together. She couldn’t live without Buffy in her life, and she knew her wife felt the same, so how could she be saying this. “Why do you say that?” she asked, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her.

“A lot of reasons, mainly because I still consider myself straight for one. I LOVE YOU,” she emphasized, “but if God forbid anything happened to you and I even entertained the idea of dating again, which I doubt I would, I think I’d go back to men.” Buffy didn’t believe she could bare being with anyone after Faith, they were soul-mates as cheesy as it sounded. But what she didn’t say was, she’d go back to men, because no woman would ever be Faith.

“But the biggest reason is, I didn’t fall in love with you because you were a man, or a woman. I fell in love with you because you loved our child enough to send her to me even when you hated me. I fell in love with you, while watching you baby talk to her, and take joy at her milestones even when you couldn’t be with her. I fell in love with the person, that even though everyone was trying to tell her she didn’t belong in prison anymore, refused to leave, believing she needed to finish her sentence, even if it cost her life with her daughter. I fell in love with you as a mother, and then as a friend. Without her, I wouldn’t have dropped my pride enough to let that happen.”

Faith knew she was probably right. Being a mother to the cutest little girl in the world changed them both. It was those changes that made them open to loving each other.

“I turned myself in for you. I mean I did it for myself, but I did it because I knew you were right.”

“You knocked down a piece of the wall I’d built for you that day. I was proud of you,” Buffy admitted. “So, you want to know what your daughter did while you were gone?” she asked with a laugh, changing the subject. They’d had enough deep talk for the time being.

The two Slayers laughed and talked for over an hour before succumbing to much needed sleep.

**~BF~**

“Mommy, Mama!” A much too eager for this time of the morning, little girl, yelled from the other side of the closed door.

“Come in, baby,” Buffy called, knowing their door was unlocked. Even when they did lock it for some alone time, they usually remembered to at least put some clothes back on and unlock the door before they fell asleep. They were slowly training Vaeh to knock before she entered their room, but sometimes she forgot.

“It party day?” the tot asked, crawling onto the bed between her mothers.

“Go back to sleep,” Faith growled, rolling over and trying to go back to sleep.

“Yes it’s party day,” Buffy whispered, answering Vaeh’s question. They were having a birthday/bachelorette party for Nevaeh and Faith’s birthday, and Willow and Tara’s wedding. The two witches had decided they didn’t want to wait too long before getting married and had spent the last few months quickly planning everything. It just made sense to combine all three events into one big celebration. “But it’s not for awhile, so why don’t you cuddle up with me for a bit?”

“Otay,” the girl agreed, burrowing down into Buffy’s side. She couldn’t believe their little girl was turning four in just a couple days. She hugged Nevaeh close to her, breathing in the still lingering baby smell. She told Faith the truth last night when she said she didn’t think under different circumstances they’d still be together. But she couldn’t imagine life getting any better than this. She had the woman she loved with all her heart, and the daughter they’d unintentionally created together.

Soon, maybe they’d have another baby in their family. Willow was still working on a spell to help make that happen, but she assured them she believed it was possible, just to give her time so she could be sure nothing could go wrong. They remained patient, knowing the redhead was also focused on her own wedding, and they couldn’t fault her for that.

As Vaeh fell back asleep, Faith unconsciously rolled back over and cuddled into both girls. Buffy smiled, watching Faith sleep. She looked so young when she was rested and relaxed. Not that she looked old, but their life tended to show on both their faces when they were awake. Running a hand gently through Faith’s hair, she let the moment wash through her and pull her back into slumber.

**~BF~**

“You sure this is a good idea, B?” Faith asked, just as they were about to leave for the party.

“What is?”

“Isn’t Vaeh a little young to be going to a bachelorette party?”

Buffy rolled her eyes. Her wife was such the over protective parent. “It’s not just a bachelorette party, it’s also a birthday party for the both of you. You know this. And you also already know that before it starts to get a little more adult, some of the younger Slayers have agreed to baby-sit.”

Faith just nodded her head. Neither one of them were big partiers, but she knew there’d be lots of drinking later and she wanted to partake, but she also wanted to be a good example to her daughter. “Okay good.”

“Good, now grab the presents so we can get out of here before we’re late.”

Sometimes her wife could sure be bossy, Faith thought to herself, as she went into the living room to grab the bag of presents Buffy had packed. There was only a few, Faith had already opened the more ‘private’ ones from Buffy, and they were saving some of Nevaeh’s for her actual birthday.

As usual, Nevaeh was the center of attention, and spoiled rotten as the party went on. Nobody could seem to resist the charm of the precocious child. They’d have to throw out pretty much all of her old toys to make room for all the new ones she’d gained. Currently she was also the only child on the compound, but that was going to change soon. A few of the older Slayers were currently pregnant, although as far as they could tell, none of their children would be as gifted as the littlest Summers, showing how special she really was.

Most of the Slayers however, tended to couple up with each other. Especially the younger ones. It seemed the younger you got your powers, the more likely it was you’d gravitate towards one like you. It wasn’t a gay thing, it was finding someone who understood you.

And as Buffy found herself watching her sister once again, she wondered if it was the same for Dawn. She wasn’t a Slayer, but she was more than human. “Hey, sis, got a minute?” she asked, pulling her away from her friends.

“What’s up?” the younger girl asked.

“I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. I’ve been watching you, for awhile if I’m honest, watching you and Kennedy. You can tell me anything you know?”

Dawn sighed loudly. She’d honestly been wondering if Buffy would ever bring this up. They might not technically live together anymore, but they still saw each other almost daily. It was bound to happen that she’d see something.

“There’s nothing to tell, not really.”

“What does that mean?” Buffy asked, knowing there was more to that simple statement.

“It means I’m not gay, and well Kennedy clearly is.”

Buffy had to stop herself from laughing, remembering her conversation with Faith the night before. Instead, she put a gentle hand on Dawn’s shoulder. “Honey, being gay or straight has no bearing on the person you’re in love with. I’ve come to learn that. Do you think I’m gay?”

Dawn just shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know, I wouldn’t have thought so at one time.”

“I wouldn’t have either, and yet I have a wife. A wife I might add that I love more than any guy I tried to date. She understands me in a way that no one else ever could, and loves me for who I am. That’s what makes her right for me. Do you have that with Kennedy?”

The younger Summers took a minute, really thinking about it. “I think I do. But I have no idea what to do about it.”

“You need to talk to her about it.”

“What if she doesn’t feel the same?”

“Trust me, she does. I used to watch her, back in Sunnydale, when she first came to stay with us. She was such a rich little brat, but then I’d catch her looking at you. And she’s really changed over time. Just talk to her,” the blonde encouraged again.

Dawn chose that moment to hug her sister to her. “Thank you, Buffy. I will, I promise.”

“Anytime, I love you, Dawnie.”

“I love you, too.”

Buffy just smiled as she watched her sister walk back over to join her group. Her little sister was growing up. Next thing she knew she’d be giving dating advice to her own daughter. She hoped that didn’t happen for a _very_ long time.


	5. Bachelorettes- December 04

"Thanks, guys, for looking after her tonight," Buffy told the two young Slayers that were going to be keeping an eye on Nevaeh. The little girl had started to look exhausted, and she knew everyone else wanted to get to the bachelorette portion of the night.

"No problem, Mrs. Summers," Carrie, the older at sixteen, told her. Michelle, who was just a year younger, nodded her head in agreement.

"Her pajamas are sitting on her bed. She'll probably go straight to sleep, she's had a long day. Help yourselves to anything in the house." Buffy handed her daughter over to Carrie, kissing the half asleep little girl on the forehead. "I don't know what time we'll be home, but feel free to sleep in the guest room, I'm also told the couch is comfortable to sleep on," she finished with a smirk, glancing across the room at her wife.

The two girls giggled, realizing what Buffy was trying to tell them. Whether Faith had slept on it by choice, or because she was in the dog house, wasn't said out loud, but the teenagers were sure it was the latter.

Faith walked over then to say goodnight to her daughter, and they both watched as the trio made their way out of the room. Once they were out of site, the brunette took notice of the look on her wife's face. "What's that smile for?"

"Oh nothing, just made them think I kicked you out to the couch sometimes," Buffy smirked.

"As if," Faith shot back. Pulling her wife into her arms, wrapping them around her waist, she kissed the blonde on the forehead. "Like you would even try."

It was the truth, they might fight from time to time, but by unspoken agreement, they'd always try to settle it well before bedtime. The one time they didn't, they still shared their bed, just careful not to touch each other. The only time Faith had ever slept on the couch was when she'd stayed up too late watching TV or playing video games, and fell asleep there. She always managed to find her way up to their room by morning though.

"No, I would never try," Buffy admitted, placing a gentle kiss on Faith's lips. "Even when I'm mad at you, I still want you next to me."

"Same here, because I know it's just a speed bump, and eventually we'll get it figured out." The two kissed again, this time letting their passion for each other out to play, forgetting for a moment that they weren't alone in the room.

They finally pulled apart when music filled the room. Now that they had all realized Nevaeh was no longer at the party, it was time to really get down. The two Summers women, smiled at each other, grateful to the people around them. They all respected when the littlest Slayer was around, and acted accordingly. But as soon as she was gone, they'd let loose.

Faith took Buffy's hand, leading them both over to where the bar was set up. Already a line was beginning to form, but they waited patiently for their turn. Buffy opted for a simple, Sex on the Beach, while Faith went straight for the hard stuff, taking several shots of Jack before leaving with a beer in hand.

Whenever they had parties like these, they didn't want to leave the younger girls out. But they made it clear that no underage drinking would be tolerated. If the girls were caught drunk, disciplinary action would be taken, starting with losing patrolling privileges. As most of the girls enjoyed patrolling, they seemed to respect the rules.

They were a private facility, and so long as the girls didn't leave the property, nobody would probably be the wiser. But it wasn't about the fact they weren't legally old enough, it was about respecting the rules of the school. And statistics showed the younger underage drinking began, the more likely the person would have problems. And last thing they needed was girls out on patrol dying because they'd decided to indulge before going out.

Everyone of age however had decided to enjoy the night. Faith went back for several more shots once her beer was gone, and Buffy knew she'd have a very drunk Slayer on her hands. Faith mixing that much Jack with beer was never a good thing. That left her with the decision to keep her own drinking to a minimum, knowing she'd be playing caretaker later.

Apparently Willow had decided to get into the party mood as well. It didn't take much to get the redhead drunk, as she was quite the light weight. It was apparent she'd had more than enough when she got up on a table and began dancing completely uncoordinatedly. Poor Tara stood below her with half a look of love, and half, 'what the hell should I do?" Seemed like Buffy wasn't the only one that was gonna be taking care of her girl tonight.

She was about to walk over to the two witches and offer some help to get Willow down, when she noticed out of the corner of her eye her wife trying to hand Dawn a beer. Yep, her wife was definitely drunk. She wouldn't be offering if she wasn't.

Torn between who to get out of a bad situation, Buffy made her way over to her wife and sister, hoping if anything happened, Tara would use magic to help Willow if it came down to it.

Catching sight of the blonde making her way over, Dawn help up her hands. "Buffy, I swear, I wasn't taking it."

Her sister had certainly grown up these last few years. It wasn't that long ago, Dawn would have been begging for just a taste. Anything to be like all the older people in her life. "I know you weren't," Buffy told her, taking the beer out of Faith's hand and turning to look her wife in the eyes. "Baby, Dawn's not old enough to drink this," she told her, holding up the bottle to make her point.

"She ain't?" Faith slurred.

"No, she's not."

"Well, maybe she can drink it anyway. I won't tell anyone," Faith laughed, giggling slightly.

Buffy smiled, Faith almost became childish when she got this drunk, and as cute as it was, she knew they'd both be paying for it later. "That wouldn't be fair to all the other girls, now would it?"

"Then let them all drink," Faith shouted, too out of it to realize she was doing so.

"Maybe it's time we get you home."

"But I wanna dance," the Boston girl whined.

Buffy smiled, pulling Faith by the hand and leading her over to the dance floor. She hadn't had the chance to dance with her wife yet tonight, and she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. Besides, giving Faith what she wanted might be the only way to get her to agree to go home.

The dance floor was filled with half drunk Slayers, and a few of the sober ones that were pulled on by their drunk friends. No one could say that their school wasn't very gay friendly. Course even straight girls could be coerced into a little girl-on-girl action with enough alcohol, but nobody bothered to bat an eye and several of the girls danced closely, some even making out. One couple was obviously so far gone they were practically going at it right in front of everyone.

Knowing she had her own Slayer to worry about, she signaled for Xander to do something about the couple, not wanting them to have to face the embarrassment in the morning if they did more than they meant too. Between him and Anya, they managed to get the couple off the dance floor, and it looked they'd be escorting them all the way to the dorms.

She danced several songs with Faith, before excusing herself for a break. Her wife opted to stay and dance alone. The blonde had a smile on her face as she walked towards the tables, knowing exactly what her drunken wife looked like out there. She found Tara seated at one of the tables, with a half asleep Willow resting on her shoulder.

"Looks like someone had a little too much fun," she teased her friend, who barely nodded her head.

"Yeah good thing the wedding is still a couple days off, don't think she'll be fit tomorrow," Tara agreed, placing a kiss in the red hair. "Took me forever to convince her to get off that table. About falling down on her ass finally convinced her."

Both Buffy and Willow gave Tara a look of disbelief at that. Willow rarely heard the woman swear, and Buffy was sure she never had. But then, Tara didn't seem as sober as the Slayer had originally thought she was.

"This is a bachelorette party, where's the strippers?" Faith yelled, as she finally made her way over to the table where the friends sat.

"Honey, there's no strippers," Buffy told her, as she guided her to sit down in the empty seat beside her.

"No strippers?" Faith asked again for clarification.

Buffy gave her a look, as if to ask if she really wanted to be looking at half naked girls that weren't her wife, but the look escaped Faith's attention. So instead Buffy tried another tactic. Leaning over, she whispered in the brunette's ear, "Tell ya what, when we get home, I'll strip for you."

Shocked, Faith swung her head around to look at Buffy. "You'd really strip for me?" she asked far too loudly for Buffy's comfort.

"Shh. And yes, when we get home."

"Let's get out of here."

"Seems I've finally managed to convince my wife it's time to go home. Have a good night, guys." Buffy stood, helping Faith up. Wrapping an arm around Faith, she half guided, half helped keep her wife up straight as they made their way back to their small house.

When they finally walked through their front door, Buffy turned her wife in the direction of their bedroom and walked into the living room to find both their baby-sitters, curled together on the couch, fast asleep with the TV still on. She walked over and hit power on the remote, before covering both girls with an extra blanket on the back of the couch. She didn't have the heart to wake them, so it looked like they'd be staying the night.

Buffy made her way up the stairs, unsure of what she'd find when she went into their bedroom. Faith might have passed out by now, but then when she drank that much, it usually made her extremely horny, so it was possible she was in their waiting for the fun to begin.

She could wait another few minutes though. First the Mom in her needed to check on their daughter. She was happy to see the door cracked open, she'd forgotten to mention that to the girls. Nevaeh didn't like the door completely shut, she needed it open just a crack so she could see out if she felt the need.

A soft glow lit up the room from the nightlight next to the door as she made her way inside. Vaeh slept soundly on her side, her arms wrapped around the fuzzy pink blanket she'd had since she was a baby.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she ran her hands lightly through her daughter's hair, taking a moment just to watch her sleep. She used to sit for hours and watch her sleep when she was a baby. A part of her probably afraid that someday it would all end, that Vaeh would be taken from her. She hadn't since her and Faith got together, and they found out she belonged to her. She wouldn't love her any less if she wasn't hers biologically, but a part of her wished they'd known from the beginning, from conception even.

Looking back, she wondered what life would have been like if they had known. Probably wouldn't have been much different. Not like she could share in the joy of Faith's pregnancy with the other girl behind bars. But she wondered what it would have been like to put her hands on the rounded belly and feel the life growing inside.

Hopefully they'd get their chance for that soon.

Placing a kiss in the little girl's curls, she got up and made her way into her own room. Just as she suspected, Faith had passed out shortly after getting to their room. She was face down in the middle of their bed.

"Great, now I'm going to have to move you too." Figuring Faith was good where she was for a few minutes more, she went into the connecting bathroom and got herself ready for bed first.

Once that was accomplished, she made her way back into the room and sat down beside Faith. Pulling the taller girl's legs up in the air, she slipped off her boots first. Then rolled her over, unbuttoning her pants and pulled them down her wife's legs. The shirt would have to stay, there was no way she could get that off her. Pulling back the covers as best as she could, she pushed Faith until she was in the opened spot, then went and slipped in from the other side, tucking them both in.

"Hmm, B?" Faith whispered, the sleep evident in her voice.

"Shh, baby, go back to sleep," Buffy whispered back, pulling their bodies closer together.

"But you promised me a strip dance."

Buffy laughed, placing a kiss on Faith's ear. "Go to sleep, baby. I'll give you that dance another time."

"You promise?"

"I promise," the blonde told her, hugging her even closer.

"Okay, night, B."

"Night, baby. I love you." It fell on deaf ears, as a slight snore left Faith's body.


	6. Family Planning- January 05

"Hey, B, can you bring me a soda?" Buffy heard Faith call from the living room where she was kicking back with their daughter on the couch.

"Sure, baby," the blonde called back, watching the microwave, waiting for it to beep. When it finally did, she opened the door, pulling the bag out and shaking it around to even out the butter. Pulling on the sides, the smell of popcorn filled her nostrils as she dumped the contents into the bowl waiting on the counter, throwing the bag away as soon as it was empty.

Pulling one of Nevaeh's straw cups out of the dishwasher, she filled it full of apple juice, before getting a drink for herself and Faith. The little girl would want a drink as soon as she saw her mothers', and this would at least derail Faith from giving the girl some of her soda. The little girl was already hyper enough, she didn't any help. But that didn't stop Faith from slipping her some whenever Buffy wasn't looking.

Buffy sat down, handing the popcorn and drinks over to Faith, because as predicted as soon as she was down, Nevaeh moved to sit across her lap. Sitting the bowl down on the now empty spot on the couch, and giving the drinks back to Buffy, Faith pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and threw it so it was wrapped all around them. Once settled, Faith picked the bowl back up and sat it down on Nevaeh's legs that were across her own lap, making a nice little table and within reach for all of them.

"Everybody set?" Faith asked, getting a nod from her two girls as she picked up the TV remote. "Wha'd ya pick this time?" she asked Nevaeh.

"Surprise," was all they were given. The two mothers rolled their eyes when the opening to Finding Nemo came on the screen. They'd watched this movie more times than anyone could count since it came out. But it was Nevaeh's favorite movie so they put up with it.

Faith had to hold in a laugh as she saw her wife once again trying to hold in the tears. As much as Buffy stated she was tired of this movie and it wasn't that great, the blonde would cry every time Nemo was taken away. She smiled as she placed a kiss on her wife's cheek, whispering an, "I love you," into her ear.

Buffy turned to smile at Faith, "I love you, too," she whispered back, returning the kiss with one on the lips this time. Faith was always affectionate with her, but it wasn't often she told her she loved her out of nowhere.

"How much longer you think we got 'til she passes out?" Faith asked her quietly, shaking her head in Vaeh's direction.

Buffy took a glance down, to watch as the little girl tried to nuzzle deeper into Buffy's chest as a small yawn escaped her mouth. "Not long, maybe fifteen minutes. She had a long day today." They had let her partake in one of Faith's training classes earlier that day. While they in no way wanted her to be trained as a Slayer yet, after all she was only four, they both agreed it was important for her to start learning some defense moves in case there was ever a time when she'd need to use them.

Nevaeh just thought it was fun to hang out with the 'big' girls and play with them. She didn't realize she was learning anything, she just thought they were playing. But if the situation arose her Slayer instincts would take over, and her body would remember.

"I'll get her up to bed, if you clean up here," Buffy told Faith, not even ten minutes later when Veah's breathing had told them both that she was completely out for the night.

"Meet ya in the bedroom in ten?" she asked seductively.

"Deal," the blonde told her, already feeling the effects of what was to come. Racing up the stairs as fast as she safely could with Nevaeh in her arms, she tucked the tot in bed, flipping on her nightlight.

As soon as she was clear of their daughter's room, she worked on stripping her shirt off, tossing it on the floor for Faith to find when she got to the top of the stairs. Her pants came next, left a few feet away. Finishing with her bra and panties sitting just outside the bedroom door, completing the trail of bread crumbs.

"Hey now, wha'd ya go and strip for?" Faith asked, entering the bedroom to find her wife spread out on the top of their bed.

"I thought that was obvious," Buffy smirked.

"But I missed the show! When am I gonna get that strip dance you promised? It's been weeks and I still ain't seen it."

"Do you want me to get dressed again?"

Thinking it over again, Faith shook her head, stripping her own shirt off. Her pants followed suit before she pounced on the bed, landing directly on top of Buffy. "Nah, but you still owe me," she finally breathed out, before closing the distance and kissing the girl underneath her with all the passion she could muster.

**~BF~**

"Hey, it's the newlyweds. How was the honeymoon?" Buffy asked, as Tara and Willow made their way into the Summers' home.

"Yeah, how was the sex?" Faith asked, earning a smack on her shoulder and a, "Faith," from Buffy. The blonde also signaled to their daughter, who was only a few feet away, playing with her toys on the living room floor. "Um, I mean how was the… scenery?" she tried again lamely.

The other three women just laughed as they all headed into the living room. Faith took a seat in the recliner, with Buffy sitting on the arm, leaning into Faith's side, leaving the couch for the two witches.

They sat around for over an hour discussing all the things the witches had seen on their quick two-week journey through Europe, spending some time in England with some of Giles' friends.

"We didn't just come over to visit about our trip," Willow told the Slayers, earning identical glances in her direction. "I spoke with a coven out there, and they gave me the missing piece I didn't have to the baby spell."

Buffy and Faith both exchanged a look, before Faith pulled Buffy down onto her lap, pulling her into her body. She wanted them close for what Willow had to say. Neither woman had let themselves think too much about the possible baby, giving Willow time to try and figure it out for them. They didn't want to hope too much, in case it wasn't possible. So many factors played into Nevaeh's conception, they weren't sure it could even be recreated.

"I think I've got it figured out, and in a way that it would require only you two, no third party this time."

Buffy's mouth dropped open at that. "Really?" She had hoped for this, but decided even with magic, as two women they didn't have the right parts to make it possible.

"I've managed to create the potion that should make the necessary changes. But it's not a guarantee," the redhead watched as her friends faces dropped. She quickly went on to explain further. "What I mean is, it'll make it as possible as any straight couple trying to conceive. You'll have to wait for ovulation like any other couple, and it might not take the first try."

"I think I understand what you're saying," Buffy told her friend. "We'll just have to keep trying if it doesn't happen the first time. Even then it still might not happen. But never hurts to try," she said, trying to smile.

"Exactly," Tara finally piped into the conversation. "So long as there's nothing medically wrong with you, Buffy, it should happen for you."

"You mean like being beaten up by demons every night for years?" the blonde pointed out.

Willow sighed, "It's possible something could have happened, but it's possible your Slayer healing took care of any possible injuries that would have compromised you." They all thought on that, and took it for what it was worth.

Willow reached into her bag, pulling out a small vial with a red liquid inside. "When the time is right, Faith, you drink a tablespoon of this and then just umm… do things as you normally would," she finished in a rush, not wanting to think about her friends' sex lives. "There should be about three doses in there and they should each last about twelve hours. If you run out, just let me know and I'll make up some more."

"Thank you, Willow," Buffy told her sincerely, getting up to go over to her friend and give her a hug. "You'll never know how much this means to us that you even tried."

"You're very welcome. Although I didn't do it completely selflessly. After all, me and the misses here might want one of our own one day," Willow told her honestly, holding Tara's hand within her own.

"Really? That would be awesome. You should try now, then our kids could be the same age."

Tara and Willow both laughed. "As awesome as that sounds, we want to just enjoy being married for awhile first," Tara told the excited Slayer.

"Oh, fine," Buffy huffed.

**~BF~**

Buffy looked down at the ovulation test that they had gone out and bought right after Willow and Tara left the week before. Seemed her friend had come through for them right on time. Thinking over her wife's schedule, she was fairly certain that Faith wasn't on patrol duty tonight, which would give them the perfect opportunity to try.

But first, she had to make sure they had no interruptions. But who to call? Faith still grumbled over Dawn and the poptart incident, so she was probably out. Willow and Tara were still newlyweds so she didn't want to ask them. Looked like Xander and Anya it was. Hopefully the ex-demon wouldn't be too upset about it. But Xander would never turn her down.

"What's up, Buff?" she heard Xander ask when the call finally picked up.

"Hey, was wondering if you'd be willing to keep Nevaeh tonight?"

"Sure, I'm always up for time with my favorite mini-Slayer."

"Thanks, Xand. I just really need a night alone with Faith." That's all she was telling him. They told Willow and Tara because they needed them, but nobody else needed to know until it happened. It was too much pressure otherwise.

"Understandable. I'll be done here around five, then I'll come get her. That work for you?"

Faith shouldn't be home until after six, so that would give herself time to get some things done. "That's perfect."

"Hey, baby girl, wanna go stay with Uncle Xander tonight?" she asked Nevaeh as soon as she hung up the phone.

"Uncle Xand? YAY!" The little girl smiled, clapping her hands. She loved her Uncle Xander, but she didn't see him quite as much as she saw the rest of the Scoobies. Buffy was sure her daughter also had her first crush. What was it about little ones, and crushes on her best guy friend? First Dawn and now Nevaeh.

"Let's get your stuff ready, eh kiddo?" Before she could blink, the little one was on her way up the stairs and had a backpack full of toys before she could even make it in the room. "How about we put some clothes in there too? Maybe a toothbrush?"

Vaeh sighed, and began looking through her toys, trying to decide which ones she could live without. She begrudgingly made room for the things her mom wanted to pack. For a good fifteen minutes before Xander was to arrive, she sat by the door with her backpack on, ready to go.

When Faith walked into the house at six-fifteen, she was surprised to find the house almost completely dark, with the exception of the fireplace going in the living room. Her wife was nowhere to be found. "B?"

"In the kitchen," was the response she got, so she started heading back that way. "Don't come back here, go wash up and take a seat on the couch."

"Um, ok," she muttered, confused, but did as she was told. Her jaw dropped open when Buffy finally walked in with a tray in her hands, dressed only in pink silk camisole that barely reached her mid thigh. "Yum…"

"Well I did spend hours in that kitchen, it better be."

"I wasn't talking about the food," the brunette smirked. "I see seduction is on the menu tonight."

"Definitely, but first food, because I got plans for you, and you'll need the strength. And before you ask, Vaeh's with Xander tonight, so I have you all to myself."

Faith shook her head, realizing she hadn't even given a thought to their daughter. Her brain was completely down south at the moment. "Good." It was only after Buffy handed her, her plate that she noticed what else was on the tray. "B?" she asked, indicating the small bottle.

The blonde leaned over, whispering in her ear, "Tonight is the night." Giving her wife a deep kiss, "so eat up."

Nobody had to tell Faith twice, her food was gone faster than you could blink, finishing by taking a dose of the amber liquid. She didn't feel any different after it was down, but she trusted that Willow knew what she was talking about.

Turning, she kissed her wife, loving the sweet taste that was purely Buffy. Stretching out on the couch, they made out like teenagers, their hunger for more than just a need for release. When Buffy reached for the bottom of Faith's shirt, the younger woman jumped up, leaving a confused blonde.

She wasn't left confused for long, when Faith bent down, picking her up easily in her arms and running up the stairs. "Faith," she half squealed, half giggled.

"We're doing this right, that means not on the couch." Unceremoniously dropping Buffy onto the bed, she began stripping herself down, hopping on one foot as she tried to get her shoes off so her pants could follow.

"Not that I don't love the easy access, but Faith you really should wear underwear more often," Buffy laughed when she noticed her wife had once again gone commando.

"Nah, I like the freedom."

"Well get your sexy naked ass over here and make love to me."

"Yes, ma'am," Faith felt like saluting at her wife's orders, but instead just moved to join her on the bed. As their early make out continued, the brunette moved to strip Buffy of the cami, finding soaking wet panties underneath. "A little worked up are we?"

"All day," Buffy admittedly panted as Faith slowly kissed her way down her body, stopping to lick around her belly button. Fingers reached for the matching pink panties and slowly slipped them down trim legs, as she continued to worship the blonde's stomach that would hopefully house their baby after tonight. "Been thinking about this since I realized tonight was the night."

Faith continued her journey south, kissing the flesh just above where her ultimate goal was. "Please, baby." That was all it took for Faith to give Buffy what she had wanted all day. One gentle lick, then two, and then Buffy couldn't keep still as the pleasure became so intense. She lost it completely when the familiar tongue made its way inside.

When she finally came back down to earth, she found Faith smiling above her, running her hand gently through the blonde locks. "Hi." The Boston girl smiled, placing a kiss down on her wife's lips, letting her taste herself.

"Soon as I can catch my breath it's so your turn."

"We got all night."


	7. Little Moments- February 05

"Higher, Mama, higher!" a curly-haired brunette yelled from her place on the swing set. No fear whatsoever was on her face.

Faith smiled at the look of pure joy on her daughter's face as she moved to continue pushing the girl as requested. The two had been at the indoor park down the street for almost an hour now, and Nevaeh loved every minute of it, especially since she had her Mama all to herself for once. Faith was just happy the city had put in this park, since outside it was much too cold to play at the outdoor park. This way kids could get their energy out, year round.

Ever since the Chosen Two had gotten together as a couple, they had always done things as a family. Today was different, Nevaeh wanted to go to the park and Buffy had some things to do at the school. They had discussed waiting until Buffy was done, but Faith decided she wanted a little one-on-one time with her daughter. She told Buffy as much, and the blonde just gave her a big smile and told them to have fun.

"Underdog, Mama!" the girl demanded this time.

"You want another underdog, huh?" Faith asked, trying to keep the laughter from sneaking out. "Alright here we go," she told her, as she pulled the swing back as far as it would go, before running forward, pushing the girl up in the air as she ducked underneath her, careful not to send her too high, earning a high pitched scream from Vaeh.

The mini-Slayer begrudgingly got off the swing several minutes later when her Mama told her she needed a break. Almost as soon as her feet hit the ground, she took off running for the jungle gym. "Mama, come watch me," she yelled as she headed towards the top of the slide.

Faith glanced around, grateful that the few people around didn't seem to pay attention to her little rug-rat, who was running far too fast for a normal four-year old. Maybe she should talk to Giles about putting in a small playground at the school. Several more Slayers were pregnant right now, and no one knew yet if their babies would have powers. Chances were though that if her and Buffy did manage to have another one, that their baby would be a Slayer.

When she was sure her Mama was watching her, Vaeh took off at a run, belly flopping down on to the slide, and zooming on down. "Careful, baby, you're gonna break your neck doin' that," Mama told her.

"I okay, Mama," she insisted, standing back up where she'd landed at the bottom of the slide.

"You're as stubborn as your Mommy is what you are," Faith muttered, shaking her head, thinking about her wife.

Tilting her head to the side, looking up at her mother, she concentrated hard, trying to figure out what the word was her Mama had just used. She shook her head, realizing she didn't know it. "What stubborn?"

Faith smiled, impressed. Her baby's speech was getting better all the time. She still had a hard time putting sentences together correctly, but she was getting much better at pronouncing words right. Buffy was constantly working with her, whenever she mispronounced a word. "It means you do whatever you want, and don't give up, even when people tell you different," she tried to explain, unsure if she was doing it right.

"I, stubborn," Vaeh nodded her head in agreement. "Build castle now?"

"Alright, go get your stuff," Faith told her nodding to where they'd set all of Veah's sand toys next to one of the picnic tables.

**~BF~**

Buffy had finished her tasks for the day and headed home, only to be greeted to an empty house. _Must still be at the park_ , she thought to herself. Turning back around, she started walking towards the front of the compound.

Fifteen minutes later she stood under a fake tree, out of sight, as she watched her girls build a castle, both covered in sand.

"No, Mama, like this," she heard Vaeh instruct, taking the red bucket out of Faith's hand and filling it herself. Her wife watched their daughter intently as she showed her just how she wanted the bucket filed.

Buffy smiled, placing a hand on her stomach, willing another baby to be there. They hadn't succeeded last month, but they tried again last night. She was really hoping that this time it took. She wanted desperately to have her lover's baby. She wanted to know what her wife had felt when she'd been pregnant, the flutters, the kicks.

Vaeh stood up with the bucket in hand, ready to add it to the top of their already existing structure. Instead she tripped on her untied shoelace and ended up dumping the bucket all over Faith, making the blonde snicker. The sound was easily heard by both girls with their Slayer hearing, making Vaeh snap her head up to look.

"Mommy!" She yelled when she finally caught sight of her other mother. She took off running towards Buffy.

"Slow down, baby. Gonna trip on those shoelaces again," Buffy told her. When Vaeh finally reached her, she lifted her into her arms, giving her a big hug, breathing in her little girl scent. It didn't matter that it was mixed with sand and sweat, it only mattered that it was the pure scent of her daughter.

"Let's tie those shoes, eh?" she asked her daughter after they finally released their hug. Putting Vaeh back on the ground, she knelt so she could tie the pink Sketchers. She took her time, so that the preschooler could watch her, hoping soon she'd be ready to start learning herself.

By the time she'd finished, and stood up, Faith had finished shaking most of the sand off her body and made her way over to them. "Hey, babe," she greeted, placing a quick kiss on Buffy's lips.

"Uh uh, more," Buffy told her when she pulled away. Grabbing onto Faith's shirt, she pulled her back to her, kissing her deeply. "Much better," she breathed when they finally separated for the second time. "I was thinking on my way over here, maybe we could go out for pizza tonight."

"Chuck E. Cheese!" Nevaeh screamed at the mention of pizza.

"You haven't played enough today?" Faith laughed. Nevaeh just shook her head, giving her Mama an 'are you serious' look. "Alright, Chuck E. Cheese it is."

Buffy helped Nevaeh get her coat back on while Faith gathered up all of Nevaeh's toys. Throwing the bag over her shoulder, she reached down and took the little girl's free hand, the other already tucked into her Mommy's as they made their way home. They had to stop and drop off the toys and grab their car since the nearest restaurant was too far to walk to.

**~BF~**

"I swear I can feel sand in places a person should not have sand," Faith complained, as they made their way home several hours later. Nevaeh was passed out in the back seat, exhausted from her very adventurous day.

"Well, soon as we get this munchkin to bed, I'll share a shower with you," Buffy whispered in her ear, running a hand on her wife's thigh. "Help you make sure to clean out every crack."

Faith gulped at what Buffy was surely implying. Now she couldn't wait to get home. As soon as they were through the compound gates, Faith tore down the path to their house, no longer restricted by speed limits. Throwing the car in park, she raced out the door, and up to their porch to unlock the door. Buffy moved more slowly, careful to lift Nevaeh out of her booster seat so that she didn't wake up.

Her baby really needed a bath, but she didn't want to wake her up, so she conceded to just changing her into clean pajamas. She vowed she'd get a bath first thing in the morning though. She could sleep dirty for one night.

Making her way into her bedroom, she heard the shower already running in their connecting bathroom. Stripping as she walked, she made her way through the partially closed door. When the last of her clothes were gone, she stepped up behind Faith under the stream of water.

"Bout time you got here, B."

"Well, now that I am, how about we see about getting those cracks cleaned." Picking up the washcloth, she proceeded to wash every inch of Faith's body.

**~BF~**

Faith whistled as she made her way through the cemetery, a group of Slayers-in-training behind her.

"Mrs. Summers, what's with the whistling? Won't that alert our presence?" asked Kellie, one of the newest girl's to join the school.

"Valid point," Faith told her, not realizing that she had in fact been whistling. She couldn't deny that she had been, she was just in that kind of mood. Buffy had done more than wash her body earlier. It was like the blonde had to worship her, and Faith couldn't complain. She couldn't remember ever coming that hard. "I figure we can try something different tonight. You all spread out and hide, I'll be bait." She spouted out, quickly coming up with the plan. "If anything attacks, it's your job to 'rescue me.' I'll just be an innocent bystander tonight."

Most of the vamps around here knew who she was, so she didn't know how well this would work. Maybe they'd get lucky and a stupid demon who didn't know her would find them.

Or maybe a whole pack of really stupid vampires, she thought, as she saw a group of at least eight, maybe more, making their way towards her. Ooh this is going to be a good night, she thought to herself.

"All alone tonight, Slayer?" the ring leader asked.

"Looks that way, don't it?"

"Our lucky night. Always did want to taste the blood of a Slayer. Looks like I'm gonna get my chance."

"Same old lines. Don't they ever get old? What you all sit around chatting, telling each other, 'now when we see the Slayer, this is what we're going to say.' Or are you all just that stupid?" the dark Slayer taunted.

"Big talk for someone who's outnumbered."

Faith smirked, she was gonna enjoy this. "Yeah, well I know something you don't."

"And what's that?"

"Two of your boys are about to be dust," she shot back at the same moment Carly and LeAnne staked the two flunkies furthest back. "Oh, did I mention I wasn't alone," she grinned, when the ring leader noticed not only those two girls, but the other six making their way out from behind the trees. "He's mine," Faith told the girls, pointing at mister mouth. All the girls nodded their heads in understanding, before going after the rest.

"Alright, big boy, let's dance." Pissed off, he ran at her, aiming to take a swing at her, but missed as she ducked, throwing out a leg and tripping him. "That all you got? Guess we ought to make this fair." She took her stake out of her pocket and threw it to stick high up in a tree. She was going to enjoy taking him out with her bare hands.

Sneering, the vamp got up. He maneuvered around her, trying to find a week spot, but she kept pace with him. Angry enough not to care at this point, he charged again, only to be lifted and thrown over her shoulders. "You boys never learn do you?"

He tried to get up, but she placed a nice kick to his stomach, keeping him on the ground. "Don't matter, Tarzar is coming. You'll be dead then. It's been prophesized." He grunted, trying to take an unneeded breath.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," she told him, before reaching down and twisting his head clean off his shoulders. Brushing the dust off her hands, she looked around to see the trainees had taken care of the rest of his buddies.

"Alright, girls, think it's time we get back. Got a name Giles needs to get to work on." She didn't know if any of the girls had heard what was said. They probably did, they all had Slayer hearing and he wasn't quiet about it.

As they made their way through the cold back to the compound, she couldn't help but think of what she'd heard. Sounds like they had a new big bad to deal with so she wanted to get Giles right on this Tarzar thing. They'd figure it out, just like the always did.

That wasn't what was bugging her though. They'd dealt with and beat prophesies before, but this felt different. Something about it struck a chord with her. She'd felt something coming for awhile now, but she didn't dare mention it to anyone, afraid it would bring it to life.

Looks like now she'd have to. Maybe a long time ago she wouldn't have cared about leaving this life, welcomed it on some days. But not anymore, she had too much to live for. She had a wife and a daughter, and if all went well another baby on the way.

She needed to talk to Giles. Get their Watcher on this, look for any prophesies about her death and figure out how to beat it if there was one. If it was completely unavoidable, well she'd deal, but she'd put it off as long as possible. She wanted to see their baby born.

They didn't yet know if Buffy was pregnant, since they'd only tried again the night before, but she was praying for all that she was worth now that she was. She wanted Buffy to have the same piece of her that Faith had of Buffy because she carried their daughter.

And if God forbid, anything happened to the both of them, at least Nevaeh wouldn't be alone. Well she'd never be alone anyway, with all her 'aunts' and 'uncles.' But that wasn't the same as a parent or a sibling.

When they hit the compound, the girls headed for the dorms while Faith headed straight for Giles' place, knowing he'd still be up. He always waited for them to get back from patrol before going to bed, incase anything came up. She quickly filled him in on what had happened, and her feelings on the subject.

"I understand, Faith. We'll get right on it, first thing tomorrow."

"Thanks, G-man."

"Go home, get some sleep. Don't worry, we'll figure this out."

She gave him a pat on the shoulder in a sincere thanks, before making her way back to her own home. She entered the house quietly, slipping her shoes off at the door and sitting them against the wall.

Taking the stairs two at a time, she entered their room to find her wife sleeping peacefully. For a minute she just stood there, staring at the beautiful woman she got to call her own. She wasn't sure how she'd gotten so lucky. She certainly didn't deserve it, but she'd forever be grateful.

"Faith, come to bed," Buffy told her groggily, making it evident she was still half asleep.

Quickly stripping out of her clothes, she threw them in the hamper, knowing Buffy would get on her case in the morning if she didn't. Slipping under the covers, she scooted up behind her lover, pulling her as close to her as humanly possible. She just laid there, letting the feeling take over her entire body, before finally relaxing enough to fall asleep.

Tomorrow she'd tell Buffy everything.


	8. Don't Break the Bubble- February 05

Startled from sleep, Buffy stretched the kinks out of her body, before trying to figure out what had woke her up. The clock showed it was just barely after six, too early for her to wake up naturally. That didn't happen until usually after seven, so there had to be another reason.

A movement to her side caught her attention, and she turned to watch as her wife moved restlessly on the bed, still sound asleep. "No, no, please," Faith cried out, turning herself onto her side, facing Buffy, pulling herself into a fetal position. "Buffy, B, where are you?" she cried in almost a whisper, as if she'd given up hope. The sound nearly tore at Buffy's heart.

Tentatively reaching out, the blonde ran her hand lightly through Faith's hair, scooting down so she was lying face to face in front of her wife. "Shh, it's okay, baby. I'm right here." Placing a kiss on the other woman's forehead, she pulled her into her body, holding her close. "It's just a dream, Faith, wake up."

"Buffy?" Faith whispered, pulling herself slowly from her nightmare.

"Right here, baby."

That was all it took for Faith to lose it and tears began to flow, as she held tightly to the woman she loved more than anything. "It was so awful, B," she tearfully started.

"Shh, calm down. Everything is alright, just give yourself a minute and then tell me. Okay?" Buffy wasn't sure what Faith had been dreaming, but whatever it was, wasn't good. She had never seen Faith like this before, and they'd been through a lot together so that was saying something.

Whatever it was, she just hoped it was a regular dream and not one of the Slayer variety, afraid of what it could mean.

Finally calm, Faith took a deep breath. "I was going to tell you today anyway, but that dream just made it even more real. Last night we came across some vamps spouting off about a new evil comin' to town. Leader told me that when Tarzar, shitty name by the way, comes that I'll be dead. That it's been prophesized or some shit."

"He was probably just blowing smoke, trying to throw you off your game."

"I wish I could believe that, B," Faith sighed, trying not to let it get to her.

Buffy kept her hands running through the brunette's locks, studying the eyes in front of her own. "Talk to me, Faith," she pleaded, when she was sure there was still something that her wife hadn't told her. "Don't shut me out. We've come so far."

"I'm not trying to shut you out. I just… I dunno," Faith sighed again, turning onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "I've been feeling like something isn't right for a couple weeks now. I just thought it was stupid. Now I'm not so sure."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Talking about it would mean there was a problem," she told Buffy honestly. Turning back to face her wife, she curled back into the strong arms that so easily accepted her. "I don't wanna die. There was a time I would have welcomed it, but not now. Not when I have so much in my life. You and Nevaeh." She reached out and ran her hand on Buffy's smooth stomach, tracing the skin lightly. "Maybe another baby."

"It's okay, we'll figure this out. I don't want to lose you either. We haven't had nearly enough time together. And Nevaeh needs her Mama. We'll figure this out," Buffy repeated. They'd talk to Giles TODAY. Get every Slayer on this if they had to. She couldn't lose another person in her life, she wasn't sure she'd survive it.

**~BF~**

"Buffy, I understand what you're saying. We'll do everything we can." Giles tried to calm the girl down. She'd burst into his office more than ten minutes ago.

"That isn't good enough. I want EVERYONE on this, no exceptions. I am NOT losing Faith," she yelled, not caring that she could be heard clear down the hallway.

"I just," she started, plopping down into a chair in front of his desk, trying to calm herself down. "I just can't lose her, Giles. It took me too long to find her. I can't even think about not having her around."

Giles sighed, walking around the desk and sitting down next to her, placing an arm around her shoulders in a fatherly gesture. "I know, Buffy. Through all the crap, you both managed to find something special."

Buffy sobbed, turning her face into his chest. "Her and Nevaeh are my life, I just, I can't."

"We'll do everything we can. I promise you, Buffy."

Thanking him, she got up and made her way out of his office. Wandering through the halls, she didn't take notice of anyone or anything around her, just walked with a completely blank mind. A hand reached out and fingers gently glided along the wall, reminding her what was real and what was all in her mind. But it didn't matter, because ever since her talk with Faith this morning it was all she could think of.

She paused outside an open doorway, peeking in to watch as her wife went through a series of punches with a bunch of thirteen year olds. She watched as the group of ten girls watched Faith's every move, doing their best to follow it to the letter. When one of the girls would have trouble, Faith would walk over to them and guide their hands through, helping them to try again. She was such a good teacher.

She stood there, just observing for the rest of the class. She knew that Faith could feel her there so it didn't matter if she was out of sight or not.

When the girls all began to get tired, Faith immediately took notice and stopped her lesson. She had each of the girls come up and spar with her, using their skills, but she wanted them to have fun so she let them win, encouraging them all at the same time. Buffy watched with a smile on her face, loving how easily this all came for Faith.

How far they had truly come. No longer was Faith the angry scared girl she used to be. This woman was who she was meant to be all along. Fun, caring, full of life. She couldn't imagine her any other way. Certainly not cold and lifeless. The very idea stole the breath from her lungs, causing Faith to turn and look her in the eye, having felt the change in Buffy's emotions.

Wiping a tear from her eye, Buffy just gave Faith a weak smile, silently telling her lover she was okay. She didn't want Faith to end her class early for her. That wasn't fair to the girls she was trying to train.

When time was finally up, Buffy made her way through the throng of girls heading out towards where Faith was putting the mats back up. Not caring, she put her arms around Faith from behind, hugging her tightly.

Turning in her arms, Faith put her own arms around Buffy's middle, placing a kiss in the soft blonde hair. Words weren't needed as they both stood in the other's embrace.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you," the younger Slayer finally whispered, rubbing her face in Buffy's hair.

"Don't you even think it," Buffy admonished. "You should have told me. We're married, we're supposed to share these things."

"I don't like seeing you upset," Faith told her honestly, knowing that Buffy was right and that they did need to share these things. It's what kept their relationship so strong.

Tilting her head up, she looked deeply into Faith's eyes, wanting to stare into them forever. "I love you so much. I don't think I could ever say it enough," she whispered, pulling her wife's mouth to her own, kissing her deeply. "Let's go home, I just want to spend time with you and Nevaeh."

"Okay. I'll meet you there in like fifteen," Faith agreed. She watched as Buffy walked out the door on her way to Willow's office where Vaeh was currently 'hanging out.' Their little girl had decided that she didn't like being baby-sat. They really needed to get her into another play group or a preschool. She spent far too much time hanging out with teenagers.

It wouldn't be too long before she was going off to kindergarten. Hopefully by then they'd have figured out what to do about her powers so that she didn't terrorize her school. If Faith was even around to see that day.

Shaking off the morose thoughts, Faith grabbed her phone from the bleachers and dialed the familiar number. "Hey, Ken, I need you to do me one. I need you to take over the rest of my classes for the day," she paused waiting for the other woman to agree. "Thanks, brat."

Kennedy always jumped at the chance to be the teacher. They hadn't given her, her own classes yet, but allowed her to help out from time to time. Giles had already decided they'd start giving her a few next semester, knowing she'd proven to be a good leader. They hadn't told her yet however, wanting it to be a surprise.

She beat Buffy and Nevaeh back to their home. Knowing Buffy she'd stop and chat with Willow for awhile, but she knew the blonde wouldn't make her wait long. This time together was her idea.

"Mama!" Nevaeh squealed as soon as they were through the door. She ran to Faith, jumping on her. Expecting it, Faith wrapped her arms around her daughter, throwing her in the air. Vaeh squealed in delight, laughing as her Mama twirled her around in circles, making her dizzy.

"Again, again!" The preschooler yelled, when Faith finally put her down, causing her to sway slightly.

Nevaeh was so dizzy and focused on trying to get her Mama to do it again, she didn't notice her Mommy advance on her until she squealed as Buffy began tickling her ribs. "Mommy, Mommy," she laughed, trying in vain to push her mom's hands off of her.

"Need some help there, munchkin?" Faith asked her, trying hard not to roll on the floor in laughter.

"Yes, help," Vaeh tried to tell her in a 'duh' way, but it didn't come out through all the laughter.

"Alright." Faith smiled, moving towards her girls.

Seeing the look in her wife's eyes, Buffy knew she was in trouble. "Oh, no you don't." The blonde moved away from the breathless little girl, walking backwards towards the dining room. When Faith tried to advance on her, she let out a small squeal, turning and running the other way.

Nevaeh sat on the coffee table, trying to catch her breath as she watched her Mama chase her Mommy through the house. You'd think her parents were big old children some days. She loved watching them play like this. The only thing that was better was when they played with her.

Buffy tore back through the dining room and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Faith was only a second behind her. Buffy took a right into Nevaeh's room, through the connecting bathroom and out the guest bedroom, knowing Faith was right behind.

She was well ahead when she hit the stairs. What she wasn't expecting however was instead of going down the stairs, Faith jumped over the banister landing on the first floor ahead of her wife.

Buffy's feet didn't even have time to hit the landing, as she felt arms wrap around her from behind, swinging her around. Faith kept her in the air and twirled her as she made her way back into the living room. With little effort she tossed Buffy onto the couch, pouncing on top of her and began tickling her in the ribs.

"Faith, Faith, stop," she laughed, not really meaning it.

Not wanting to be left out, Nevaeh moved to the end of the couch and began to tickle her Mommy's socked feet, knowing from watching her Mama that she was really ticklish there.

Feeling her daughter play with her feet, Buffy knew she had to try her hardest not to kick while Faith tortured her, not wanting to accidently kick their little girl. It took a minute but eventually the brunette realized the woman beneath her wasn't moving nearly enough. Throwing a look over her shoulder, she realized why, and eased off her tickling.

Running hands along the willing body below her, she worked them up her sides and then up her arms, finally cupping her cheeks, she leaned down and placed a kiss on waiting lips. Then in silent agreement, Faith pulled Nevaeh between them before the curly-haired girl even realized what was going on. They sandwiched her in a hug, and just laid there together, all trying to catch their breath.

After a short nap for all of them, Nevaeh woke her parents up trying to work her way out between them. With a kiss to both their foreheads, Buffy moved to the kitchen to start dinner.

When the television had nothing to hold their attention, Nevaeh had an idea that had Faith pulling all the chairs out of the dining room, while Nevaeh headed upstairs to gather all the blankets she could find.

"Don't you dare!" Faith told Nevaeh with a pointed finger at her, when she noticed her daughter trying to climb the banister. "Mama shouldn't have done that, and neither should you," she finished in a serious tone so that Nevaeh would know she was serious.

Faith about had a heart attack when she realized what the girl was going to try and do. She knew Vaeh was a Slayer and could probably come out unscathed, but it was not something she wanted her daughter to get in the habit of doing. She was having so much fun chasing Buffy, she hadn't given a second thought that Vaeh had been watching from the sidelines.

With instructions only a four year old could keep up with, Faith slowly helped Vaeh turn half the living room into a giant tent made of blankets.

"Halt, who goes there?" Nevaeh asked in her most manly tone when Buffy tried to peek inside the 'door.'

"It is I, your Mother," Buffy answered back, matching Nevaeh's voice. "Please let me enter. I come baring nourishment."

That night, with only the light of a lamp, they ate seated around the coffee table, safe within their fortress. Faith smiled as she watched her wife and daughter devour their food. Life could never get better than this.


	9. Of No Use -February 05

"Well, no mention of Tarzar in this one either," Dawn grumbled, throwing the worn brown book on top of the pile of other worn books. "I'm beginning to think we're never going to find anything," she told everyone in the room, defeated.

Kennedy, seeing the look on Dawn's face, moved to sit beside her on the couch in the research library. Putting an arm around her back, she pulled the younger girl's head onto her shoulder. "Don't give up yet, I'm sure we'll find something soon," she spoke softly to her, placing a kiss in Dawn's hair.

Dawn tilted her head up to look into Kennedy's eyes, smiling, knowing she was right. The relationship between the young couple had been moving slowly, as in a snail's pace kind of slow. But the young Summers wasn't about to complain, she was quite content. She knew the Slayer wasn't pushing for her sake, knowing this was all new to Dawn.

"You're right," she agreed, sitting back up so she could go back to researching. "Have you found anything yet, Giles?" she asked the Watcher who was seated adjacent to them, flipping through pages of yet another book.

He sighed, closing the book and placing it back on the table. "Not as yet."

"I'm starting to think he's either extremely old and predates the written word, or is so new he hasn't made himself known yet," Willow piped in from her place behind the desk, where she was searching through the internet on her laptop.

"It's quite possible," Giles admitted. "Or another theory is, he is not from our dimension."

"I've never thought of that, it's a possibility I guess," Willow admitted. "Maybe Anya's contacts will turn something up," she sighed.

If they didn't turn up something soon, they all feared what would happen. As it was, Buffy was no longer allowed anywhere near the library. She proved to be more a distraction than any help. They knew the Chosen One was worried, they all were, but standing over their shoulder's questioning them every two seconds was not a help to anyone.

"Maybe there really is no Tarzar, and that vamp was just trying to scare Faith," Dawn said, hopeful.

"Pff, Faith was right, lame name," Kennedy mocked, "Tarzar, I mean really, come up with something cool."

"Yes, well, regardless of his name, I fear he does indeed pose a real threat." Giles paused, pulling his glasses off to clean them, only continuing once they were situated back on his nose. "With Faith's dreams being what they have been this last week, I do believe that dark forces are headed our way. We already know that since the spell to empower all the girls, demons have sought their power. It isn't far off to imagine that other dimensions haven't felt the shift as well, which leads me to my theory of he is not from this world."

Slamming down the book she had recently picked up, Dawn let out a deep sigh. "So none of these books will help, and we just have to hope Anya's contacts turn up something."

"It would be prudent to keep looking, on the off chance I'm wrong, but yes I believe we'll likely have more luck with Anya." Turning to look at the only Slayer in the room, "Kennedy, go see what classes are out and see if you can wrangle some more help."

The brunette nodded her head, before moving away from her girlfriend and out the door. Hoping soon they'd find something useful.

**~BF~**

Across campus, Buffy sighed as she placed the file in her black filing cabinet. Ever since her small stint as counselor back in Sunnydale, she realized it was a job she enjoyed. So when they came to Cleveland, she'd asked Giles if she could hold a similar position here.

When they first started the school, she was needed more to help teach classes, so was only given a few hours a day to counsel the girls. Now a couple years later, they were at a place where she was only needed to teach a class or two here or there and could dedicate most of her time to helping the new Slayers on an emotional level.

Several of the potentials that had been with them back in Sunnydale have already been assisting or teaching their own classes with supervision and instruction. But that would change next semester, as several of them would be given their own classes to run as they saw fit.

But today, as she watched the last girl exit her office, she couldn't help but feel as if her heart wasn't in it. She couldn't even be sure she'd offered any good advice to any of them. Locking the filing cabinet, she made sure the lock was also flipped on her office door, before working her way down the hallway.

She started to head towards the research library when she remembered she was no longer allowed in. Willow had threatened to put up a barrier if need be to keep her out. Okay, so maybe she had gone a little overboard asking if they'd found anything yet, but surely it wasn't every two minutes like they'd claimed. And maybe she did read over Dawn's shoulder to make sure her sister didn't miss anything, but who could blame her? I mean this was her wife they were talking about.

Willow would feel the same way if they were talking about Tara.

Faith would have picked Nevaeh up by now and taken her home, classes had been over for well over a half hour. So she headed to the one place she hadn't been in far too long.

The cool air felt good on her skin as she stepped outside the main doors in the administrative building and made her way towards the back of the compound. The large double doors beckoned her as she pulled the left one open and walked into the large open space. They weren't sure what this building had been used for when the army owned this land, but Xander had gutted the entire thing, turning it into a very nice, state-of-the-art, gym and training room.

To the right side of the building, a locker room of sorts had been built in. Everyone was given their own space to keep clothes and other necessities. Not having to carry workout clothes back and forth was nice. Buffy liked to keep several sets there so she could go awhile before having to take them home and wash them.

Changing clothes quickly, she moved back out into the main room, surprised the room was bare. Hopefully, that meant everyone was being pulled to help with research. More than likely most were doing their homework, however.

On a normal day she'd be making her way over to the workout equipment to use the treadmill or lift some weights. Today, she had a purpose, one reason only for being here. To get out all the aggression that was building up inside her.

The punching bags called to her, as she pulled on a pair of gloves and threw a hesitant punch to test that her gloves were just how she liked them. As soon as she was sure, she took swing after swing.

The bag rocked weakly on its chain as she continued to wail on the poor thing. It wasn't long before her feet were soon added into the mix. She wasn't aware of the cries and grunts that escaped her lips as she built up a sweat. It wasn't until the bag gave in and flew off its chain that she finally stopped and sunk to the floor, letting the sobs free.

That's where Faith found her not more than fifteen minutes later. She could feel Buffy's anguish from a distance. Grabbing Nevaeh, she had run out the door and to the gym as fast as she could. The blonde wasn't even aware of her wife picking her up and carrying her back to their house, or of the little girl behind them, watching her mother uncertainly.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Faith headed up to their bedroom and made sure Buffy was content on the bed before heading back down the stairs to talk to Nevaeh.

"What's wrong with Mommy?" the little girl asked as soon as Faith's feet hit the landing.

Walking to her daughter, she picked the little girl up and settled them both on the couch.

She wanted to tell Vaeh that everything was fine, but she wasn't going to lie to her. But figuring out what to tell her and what to leave out was harder than she thought. "Remember when we had to leave our old house 'cause the bad guys came and destroyed it?" That's what they'd told Nevaeh when she got old enough to wonder why they moved. Which wasn't entirely a lie.

Nevaeh nodded. " Yeah, I gots new toys and new house," she remembered.

"Well, we think more bad guys are going to be coming and Mommy is just really scared that something bad might happen."

Nevaeh looked around the room, eyes landing on all her favorite toys. "We move again?" she asked.

Faith placed a lingering kiss in Vaeh's hair, taking in her still lingering baby scent, and remembering how it feels to hold this precious bundle in her arms. "No, baby, I don't think we'll have to move again. Grandpa Giles, and all your aunts and Uncle Xander trying to really hard to make sure this bad guy doesn't hurt us."

She hoped she was explaining it well, and not just scaring their little girl. The last thing she wanted was for Nevaeh to be afraid, or for Buffy to get mad at her for making their daughter scared.

Wiggling her way off her Mama's lap, Nevaeh headed up the stairs surprising Faith. The mini-Slayer knocked on the door, causing it to swing open just a few inches. Taking that as an invitation, she walked with purpose over to the king size bed where her mommy was curled in the middle.

Climbing up on the bed, she wrapped her arms around her mom, hugging her. "Mommy, don't be scared. Everything okay," she told the blonde in her arms, placing a kiss on her cheek in comfort.

Buffy looked up at Faith, who had followed their girl into the room, as if to say, 'what did you tell her?' Her wife just shrugged back, telling her to go with it.

"Thank you, baby, your kisses always make me feel much better."

"You okay now? No more crying."

Buffy smiled, wiping a hand across her face in an attempt to get rid of any tears that were still there. "Well I can't promise no more crying, but I'm okay now. Mommy just doesn't want anything to happen to you or Mama and she just got scared. She loves you both so much."

"Vaeh loves you too," she told her Mommy, easily picking up on talking in third person.

"And Mama loves both her girls too," Faith tells them both, sliding onto the bed so that Vaeh was sandwiched between them. Placing her hand across the little girl, so that her hand rested on Buffy's back, she pulled them both to her, hugging them tightly.

"See, now this is the perfect way to spend the day," Buffy smiled, loving the feeling of having her family so close to her. Nothing was going to happen to Faith, she wouldn't let it. They hadn't had enough time as a family. "I'm thinking tonight after dinner we go out for ice cream. How does that sound?"

"Yay!" Nevaeh and Faith both screamed at the same time. Sometimes her wife acted like a bigger kid than the child between them.

"Good." Giving Vaeh another hug and kiss, she told her to go play, leaving her alone with her partner.

"You okay, B?"

"Yeah, I'm better now. I just needed to let everything out I think."

"You really scared me. I could feel you, clear over here. That usually only happens when either we're fighting or well… when we're doing that other f-word," she smirked. She'd never diminish what they did together with such a term, but it didn't mean she couldn't hint at it when the opportunity presented itself.

Buffy smiled in understanding. She knew how her lover felt about their love making, it was the same way she felt. Like it was only the two of them in the whole world and everything was as it should be. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Believe me, I know how you feel." Placing a kiss on her forehead, Faith pulled Buffy closer to her, wanting nothing to separate them if she could help it. "It's gonna be okay. We'll figure out how to beat this Tarzar beast."

"You're right, we just gotta think positive. Everything will be fine."

Done with all the heavy talk, Faith gently ran her hands up and down Buffy's side. "Think Nevaeh would miss us if we locked the door for an hour?"

A small laugh burst through the blonde's lips as she lightly smacked her wife in the shoulder. "We are not having sex while Nevaeh is awake in the other room. That would just be wrong."

"Why not? I'm sure other couples do it. I mean we're married."

"We are not other couples. Just cause we're married doesn't mean we can lock our daughter out of the room so you can get me naked."

"Speaking of which, when do I get that strip dance?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You're never going to forget that, are you?"

"Are you kidding me? You promised, of course I'm not going to forget, not until you do it."

Buffy sat up, knowing it was just about time for her to start fixing dinner anyway. "Maybe if you're good tonight I'll reward you."

"Ah man," Faith mumbled, knowing the chances that it would happen tonight.

**~BF~**

The door to the research library opened up, causing everyone to look up at the ex-vengeance demon as she entered the room, looking thoroughly exhausted. At the same time, it looked like she had news, and something was tucked in her hand.

"Did your contacts turn anything up?" Giles spoke, breaking the silence.

"I think so, they gave me this," she told him, handing him a piece of very old paper.

Giles opened it up and studied the writing, but didn't recognize it. "I can't read this, can you?" he asked her.

"No, I can't, it's in a very old demon language, predates even me. But the demon that gave it to me told me what it said. I think it's the prophesy we've been looking for." All eyes turned to Anya, giving her their complete attention. "Basically it translates as 'During the climax of the final battle, the Slayer's body shall be pierced leaving her cold, her power will become his, and he will rule all.'"

"Oh, dear lord."


	10. The Prophecy- February 05

"Oh, dear lord," Giles exclaimed upon hearing the translation of the prophecy. A part of him had hoped with the others that this all was just some misunderstanding, or something. After all, they had yet to actually come across this Tarzar. But now it seems as if this isn't so.

"I think that's the least vague prophecy we've come across, and yet it still doesn't leave us much information," Willow stated, as she wrote the translation out on a blank piece of paper in her notebook, circling the three key parts.

_Body shall be pierced leaving her cold_

_Her power will become his_

_He will rule all_

Willow studied the first part, reading it over and over again. "I think the first question we need answered is why do we think this is talking about Faith? There are Slayers all over the world?"

"Well from our side of things, as far as we know, Faith is the only one having nightmares," Dawn pointed out.

"Yes, so from that we can assume it was intended for Faith, but why would Tarzar or other demons assume that?" Willow asked, making them all pause to think.

"It is possible, since this prophecy is quite old, that at the time some factors were not a part of it, such as empowering all the Slayers. Maybe whoever foretold this, did not see that coming," Giles tried to reason.

"But still, why Faith? Even without all the other girls, there is still two."

"I'm not sure. We believe the Slayer line now runs through Nevaeh, but maybe it has something to do with that. The belief that Faith holds the line."

"Well that could answer the next question then. It isn't the power of the Slayer he needs, but the power of the line?" Dawn finishes, unsure that she's on the right track.

"Quite right," Giles agrees.

"So that leaves the last part, who does he want to rule?" Kennedy asks.

"That I'm not sure, its use of the world 'all' could mean a great many things. All of a certain species, all of a dimension, even all dimensions."

"Well that's shit," Kennedy spat out, after Giles was finished talking.

"Let's worry about stopping him, then we won't have to worry about that last part," Willow advised, before Giles could reprimand the young Slayer. "Anya, did your contacts have any idea where he was, or how we could find him?" she asked, acknowledging the other woman for the first time since she'd told them of the prophecy.

"There didn't seem to be much information on him. Some weren't even sure he existed. The one's who did know of him made it sound like he was high class, so it didn't sound like we'd find him hiding in the sewers."

"A high class demon, huh?" Faith spoke, startling everyone.

The research team had been so deep in brain storming, none of them had noticed just when the Dark Slayer had entered the room. They all turned to study her, wondering how much of their conversation she'd heard. They hadn't yet gotten around to discussing just what to tell the Chosen Two about what they'd found out.

"So we talking fancy cave, or high rise apartment?" Faith asked, moving more fully into the room, now that they were all aware of her presence.

"I'm not sure," Anya hesitantly answered.

Willow tried to cover up the notebook on the desk in front of her as the brunette made her way closer, but she wasn't subtle enough. Faith saw what she was trying to do, and moved Willow's hands, picking up the notebook, she studied it for a minute.

"This the prophecy, huh? So it's true, I'm meant to die." She said it so emotionlessly that nobody knew what to think. Actually, it reminded Giles and Willow far too much of the old Faith.

"Faith," Willow started.

"Nah, it's cool, Red," Faith tried to wave her off. "I'm slowly coming around to the idea. Obviously I don't want to die, but if that's what's in the cards for me, then I'll deal. Slayers don't usually live this long anyway right?" she finished, trying to sound like she was okay with it, but everyone could hear the truth in her voice.

"We'll figure this out, Faith," the Witch tried to reassure her. "Maybe you should just stick to the compound until we do."

"Screw that," Faith burst out. She might have changed a lot over the years, mostly thanks to prison and being forced to stay in one place for a long time, but she still needed to get out and slay. Being confined to the compound would surely start to make her feel closed in, and would feel too much like she was back in a cell.

"Faith, I think Willow's right," Giles tried.

"Look, I get what you're saying, and I won't go out as much, but I'm still gonna take the girls out and slay. I'll just keep a low profile, I promise."

There was no use arguing with her. Slayers tended to be more than stubborn. Their only chance was if Buffy could talk some sense into her, but as they were both equally stubborn, that wasn't likely to happen.

"Now who's gonna tell Buffy?" Dawn asked, causing everyone to look around at everyone else.

"Don't worry brat, I'll tell her," Faith responded. "Really, I will," she told the room, when she realized they were giving her looks like they didn't believe her.

**~BF~**

Buffy took it better than she thought, or so Faith was hoping. Her wife hadn't said a word since she'd finished telling her about the prophecy. Instead the blonde sat there on their couch, staring off into space.

Buffy closed her mind off, trying to block out the words, not letting them enter her brain. Her eyes began to rove around the room. In the corner of the room sat Nevaeh's toy box, arms of dolls and other things keeping the top from completely closing.

Next to it sat the Lego cabin the little girl and Faith had put together yesterday. Her girls were so proud that they'd finally finished it. It was two stories tall and even had a sturdy floor for the second floor, with the cutest little purple roof. Faith had wanted to run out and buy superglue so they'd never have to work that hard again.

Her eyes continued to move, finding the blanket and pillow still down on the floor where they'd left it last night. The two women had curled together in front of the fireplace long after their daughter had been sent to bed. Gentle kissing and touching had eventually led to very gentle love making right there on the floor.

Staring straight at the mantle, she looked to the far left first, seeing the photo of Nevaeh asleep in Buffy's old bassinet, only a couple of days after she appeared on her doorstep. Next to that was the one Buffy had taken of her asleep on the couch, from when Joyce had given her a camera for her birthday. Her first trip to the beach, her first birthday, one of her and Buffy smiling at the camera, one of Faith tickling her when she'd finally been busted out of jail, the one of all three of them in their leather jackets.

She lingered on the one they'd placed their only a few weeks ago, it was on Buffy's birthday. The blonde had made it clear that all she wanted for her birthday was to spend the day with her two favorite girls, so that's what they'd done. They left for the weekend, just driving wherever they wanted, stopping when one wanted to. The picture showed the three of them, faces close together as they all licked their ice cream cones. That weekend was right up there with the best days of her life, only beaten by the day a curly-haired baby showed up on her doorstep and her wedding day.

"I'm so glad Willow was able to magically transport that photo album I gave you out of the prison. I hate that we lost all her other pictures when Sunnydale collapsed," Buffy finally spoke, not even looking at Faith.

Faith floundered for a minute, unsure how to respond to that. She'd just told her wife that she was in fact prophesied to die, and the other woman, when she finally does talk, talks about pictures? The old Faith would have seen that as a sign that it didn't affect Buffy.

Thankfully, the new Faith knew that this was a defense mechanism. "B… Buffy," she almost whispered, taking Buffy's chin in her hand, guiding her to look her in the eye. "Baby, I know you're scared. I am too. But we gotta talk about this. There's a very real possibility I'm not going to make it out of this one."

"NO! I refuse to accept that!" Buffy yelled, making Faith really glad she'd thought to get Vaeh out of the house before she approached the blonde.

Faith slid closer, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl. "I know you do. But that doesn't change the fact it might happen."

"No it won't. You'll just stay in the house 'til this threat is gone. That'll work, either he'll give up or the junior Slayers will get him. Yes, that'll work," she finished with confidence.

"Baby, that's not going to work."

"Yes it will."

"No, honey it won't. I can't just hide away in here. If he's as dangerous as Giles seems to think he is, well I'd never forgive myself if something happened to the SITs and I wasn't there to help them. Especially knowing they were out there to protect me."

The tears began to fall down Buffy's cheeks. "I don't think I can live without you. Not anymore," she sniffled.

Faith gave her a sad smile, wiping the tears with her thumbs and placed a tender kiss to her lips. "You would, because Nevaeh will need you." Reaching down, she placed a gentle hand on her wife's stomach, "And for the other baby we hopefully made the other day."

"I hope we did too," Buffy said softly, she couldn't bear the thought of losing Faith, but at least she'd have a piece of her in Vaeh and their possible baby.

"We still have one more dose left, maybe we should give it another go tonight, just in case," Faith suggested, placing a kiss on top of the head curled into her shoulder.

"I don't think it works like that."

"Actually, it does, well, it's usually best to try two days before ovulation and the day after." Buffy tilted her head up to give her wife a questioning look. "What? I did some reading on the internet."

"I thought research wasn't your thing?"

Faith just shrugged, "this is different. Look, I never want to leave you, or Nevaeh. But if I must, I want to know that I've done all I can to give you the baby you want."

"The baby we want," Buffy corrected.

"Yes, the baby we want," Faith agreed, leaning in to place a deep kiss on Buffy's lips. "So what do you say?" she asked when they finally pulled apart.

"Before I answer that, can I ask a question?" Faith nodded, giving her the go ahead. "Where IS the child we do have?"

Faith laughed, "noticed that did ya? She's with Willow and Tara. Was supposed to get her when we finished our talk."

"Well then, how about you go take that potion, and I'll call them and check in. Meet you in the bedroom in ten," she finished with a smirk.

"Deal!"

Thankfully, Willow and Tara agreed to keep their girl overnight. She could hear Vaeh's squeal through the phone when Willow asked if she wanted to stay the night. She was so glad her daughter was so happy to stay with her aunts and uncles, and didn't seem to just think her parents were handing her off to someone else when she did.

Heading up the stairs, she wasn't the least bit surprised find that Faith had beaten her up there. She tended to talk far too much when she called Willow, even when it was meant to be a two minute conversation. What did surprise her was that her lover was still fully dressed. That could mean only one thing, tonight was going to be a lot of slow torture for both of them.

Slowly unbuttoning the blouse she had on, Buffy made her way over to the bed with small steps. Two hands on the bed, she eyed Faith up and down with a starving look on her face. As much as they made love, it would never be enough to satisfy either of them. They both craved the connection they felt when they were intimate.

Crawling onto the bed, she slowly made her way across Faith's body, touching and rubbing at every opportunity, until she was directly over top of her, staring down into her eyes.

"Tease," Faith smirked. "And here I thought you were going to finally give me that strip dance."

"Not a chance," Buffy laughed, leaning down to place a kiss on waiting lips. They stayed like that, placing small nips and gentle kisses, as Buffy eased her body down to cover the woman below her. "I love you," she moaned, as Faith kissed her way down to Buffy's neck, sucking the skin between her teeth.

"Love you too, baby," the brunette finally muttered, as Buffy moved to pull Faith's shirt from her body. Her back arched as she gasped as her wife took a breast into her mouth hungrily. A wet tongue circled its way around the aroused nipple, tugging it between her teeth. "So good," Faith huffed.

They finished shedding their clothes slowly, teasing and tormenting as each piece fell away. If this was to be their last night together, they were going to make it count. And if it wasn't, well they'd still enjoy every minute of the wait for release.

Slowly making her way down the blonde's body, Faith placed a kiss at every inch of her journey, learning every curve over again as she did so. When her mouth finally was nearing its destination, she paused to take in the sight before her, secure in the knowledge that she was the only one that had ever made Buffy that wet.

A hand stopped her as she moved to dive in. "No… want you up here with me… together," Buffy finally managed to get out, wanting to hold on to everything she was feeling. Even without Faith touching her, she could feel her everywhere. Their connection had never been as deep as it was right in this moment.

Faith knew exactly what she wanted, and climbed back up to kiss her wife deeply. As they continued to make out, Faith used a free hand to position them so their centers were joined, slowly thrusting.

Buffy broke the kiss at the new sensation of having their bodies connected this way. She met Faith's next gentle thrust with one of her own. Their eyes locked together as the both moved in sync, their breath mingling together as the pleasure built.

No words were needed. Both knew exactly how close the other was, just by sight and by feel. As one would get close, the other would slow, wanting to draw this out as long as possible. It was only when they were in complete harmony did they finally let themselves go, their orgasms taking them higher than they'd ever been before.

When they finally came back down, Faith kissed Buffy deeply, knowing that no matter what happened to her, that everything was going to be okay.


	11. The Chat- February 05

Buffy walked quietly through the house, picking up toys as she went. Nevaeh sure had gone through her toy box that day. Normally they made her pick her own toys up before bed, but Buffy just didn't have it in her to make her tonight. Faith was out on patrol, and to say she was worried was an understatement. Every time her wife walked out that door these days, she was afraid she was never going to see her again.

Dumping the toys in the toy chest, she tried in vain to close the lid all the way. The girl had enough stuff to fill up several chests. She was spoiled rotten, that was for sure. Buffy could not remember having this many things to play with when she was little, and her parents had spoiled her.

Heading up the stairs, instead of taking a left, she moved right, walking into Nevaeh's room. She wasn't ready to be alone just yet, it would mean too much time to stew. Standing in the doorway, she watched the curly-haired girl sleep peacefully.

She wondered what it would be like to be that young and innocent. Vaeh knew her moms were worried, but she was really too young to understand what was going on, so it just rolled right off her. And that's how they wanted it. No four-year old should have to know what's going on.

Moving into the room, the blonde made her way over to the bed. Lying down next to her daughter, she reached a hand out to weave her fingers through the dark locks. "You have the most beautiful hair, baby girl, just like your Mama's," she whispered, not wanting to wake the girl.

"I can't believe you're getting so big already. I remember telling you all the time how much I loved your curls when you were just a baby." She paused, running her fingers across a soft cheek. "Your Mama says she sees traces of me in you, but when I look at you, all I see is her. And I couldn't be happier about that."

And she meant that. Even when she was still so mad at Faith for all she'd done, she was still so happy when Nevaeh showed up and could have passed as a mini-Faith. This little girl saved them both and brought them together.

Buffy was sure that they were soul mates, but without Nevaeh, they probably would have never figured that out. Their love for each other made them stronger, as individuals and as Slayers. She couldn't explain it, but she knew it was true. Now she could only hope that strength would be able to save Faith when the time came. She wasn't done loving her wife just yet.

**~BF~**

Faith crept quietly around the cemetery, with a herd of girls behind her, equally trying to do the same. "Alright, here's the deal," she whispered, as she gathered them all around here so they could listen. "We're sure this Tarzar exists, but I want you girls to be smart if we come across him. We don't engage, only defend if we have to. We need to see what this guy's deal is before we fight him. Understood?" she asked, getting several nods of the head in answer.

She just had this feeling that they were going to be meeting him, and soon. Each patrol group over the last few days had been canvassing, looking for any sign him. So far they hadn't turned anything up. But the Dark Slayer knew that couldn't hold out for long.

Tonight they were patrolling the same cemetery they had been the night they'd run into the group that had first made them aware of the big bad. They probably should have returned here earlier, but it hadn't really occurred to any of them to do so. But now they wondered if maybe there was a reason they were here that night.

Nothing turned up out of the ordinary, just the normal graves and crypts. Nothing that looked like it had been disturbed recently.

"Think we should call it a night, not looking like we're going to find anything tonight," Kennedy suggested to Faith.

Faith looked around, hoping to spot something, anything to give them a clue as to what was going on. She in no way looked forward to how this was going to end. But this slow build up was slowly driving her insane. She was more than ready to just have this out and be done.

"Just five more minutes," she said like a kid asking to stay up later. "I just want to go through those trees over there, make sure nothing is hiding back there." She didn't give anyone time to object, instead making her way over to the trees.

Her five minutes came and went as they made their way further through the brush. Something about this whole situation didn't seem right to Faith, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

A small patch of light hit her eyes. Turning, she signaled for the girls to stop, each taking cover so as not to be seen. Creeping to the edge of the trees, she found a small clearing and in the middle of it sat a shack.

When Kennedy moved to where Faith was and able to see the structure for herself, she was surprised. She was sure they'd patrolled through here before, but she couldn't ever remember this building being here.

"You guys stay here," Faith ordered. "Keep a look out, while Ken and I go check it out." She looked at the other Slayer to make sure she was on board with this plan, but the younger girl just nodded her head and began moving as carefully as possible through the clearing.

Ducking under a window, they could hear voices inside, so the building was definitely occupied, but they couldn't make out what the voices were saying. Without speaking a word, Faith let Kennedy know what she was about to do, before leaning up just enough to peak in through the window.

The room was filled with dozen of what looked like humans. But her senses were telling her that some of them at the very least were vampires.

"Do you see him?" Kennedy whispered.

"Not sure, there's definitely vamps in there, but since we have no idea what he is, couldn't tell you." So far she couldn't see anyone that seemed to be the center of attention.

"Well, what do we have here?" Both Slayers flipped their heads to see about six vampires approaching them. Even with all the other girls hidden in the trees, they were screwed. Any commotion out here would surely just bring more from inside. Instead she tried to signal to them to stay put, without giving it away to the vamps what she was doing.

A slight movement caught the attention of the one who'd spoken as Kennedy tried to reach for her stake. "Uh uh, don't even think about it. Come now, the boss just wants to have a little chat."

"Yeah right," Faith spat, ripping her shoulder away from the blonde vamp that was trying to grab it. Deciding it was best to just play nice, they allowed themselves to be led inside.

The first thing Faith noticed was that along the wall they had been standing outside, a half dozen people were chained up. They were all still alive, but just barely. By the bite marks on various body parts it was obvious they were for snacking. Faith was sick to know there was nothing she could do to help them at this moment.

She could only hope that the other girls were smart enough to head back and bring help.

"Slayer, to what do I owe this pleasure," a voice called from a darkened corner of the room.

"Heard you were looking to kill me, figured I'd find ya and do ya in first," Faith threw back.

The being just chuckled, and started to work his way into the light. "I've heard you were a tough one. Unfortunately, it's just not that simple."

When he finally stepped fully into the light so she could see him, she was almost disappointed. He looked so… human, but he wasn't she was sure of that. She also wasn't getting a vampire vibe off him. "Trying to figure me out, eh?" He asked her, noticing how she studied him. "Well let me introduce myself, I am Tarzar."

"Thank you, captain obvious, already figured that out," Faith shot back sarcastically, earning her a punch to the gut.

"Show some respect, girl. All I wanted was a simple chat, for now." Faith looked at him like he was insane. "Hey, I'm not a complete monster. I'll let you have a chance to 'get your affairs in order' as you humans say. But don't take too long."

"You think it's going to be that easy? What I'll just go kiss my family goodbye and then come back to you so you can kill me?"

Tarzar gave a laugh. "No, I don't expect you will go down easily," he admitted. "But I have knowledge that you don't."

"Oh yeah, and what's that."

"Now why would I ruin all the fun by telling you?" He moved so that he was standing right in front of her, running a hand over her, "So strong, too bad it won't be able to help you."

Faith couldn't understand why she just stood there as he ran his hands over her. She told herself she was just trying to not make trouble, wanting to get out of here and go home if he really meant what he said about letting her go.

"Yes, I can feel your strength. I wasn't entirely sure until this moment you were the one I needed, but now I know," he told her, as he held a tight hand on her neck. "I'll be seeing you," he laughed again, walking out of the room.

Once he was gone, two of his minions led them towards the door, throwing them outside.

**~BF~**

When Kennedy and Faith finally made their way back home, the other girls had rounded everyone up and they were gearing up for a rescue mission.

Buffy, who was standing in the doorway of her house, was the first to notice them, having felt Faith through their connection. "Faith, you're okay," she squealed, running to her wife and jumping into her arms and kissing her. "I was so freaked out when the girls came back without you. Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked, moving to look the other girl over.

"I'm okay, promise, B," she added when she knew Buffy didn't believe her.

"So does this mean Tarzar is…" Giles started to ask.

"Still alive and kicking," Faith answered before he could finish.

"How did you escape?"

"We didn't. Can we talk about this inside?" she finished with her own question, not wanting to discuss this outside.

"Of course," Giles agreed.

They sent all the SITs back to their dorms, leaving only the Scoobies to make their way into Buffy and Faith's living room. Taking a seat on the couch, Faith wasn't surprised at all when Buffy placed herself across her lap. Worried Buffy always made for a clinging Slayer. She wasn't about to complain.

When all the attention was on her, Faith began. "We found this, well it was more like a shack, that I'd never seen before. There had to be at least twenty vampires in there, possibly more. And Tarzar was there." She quickly filled them in on everything that had happened, and everything that was said that she could remember.

"So he was human?" Dawn asked, confused.

"No, he definitely wasn't, but he wasn't a vamp neither."

"Well that gets us a step closer, he's some kind of demon that appears human," Giles says, making a mental note to start researching that aspect. "Did he have any special powers or anything?"

"Nothing that was obvious. He touched me, and for some reason I let him. But I think maybe my mind was just saying to play it safe so I could get out of there."

"Could be, but worth looking in to," Giles told her, getting up to find a paper. He needed to start writing things down before he forgot them all.

"What about this shack?" Willow asked.

"That was the weird thing," Kennedy answered this time. "We've patrolled that cemetery many times, and gone into those woods. I don't remember ever coming across it before."

"Didn't it seem like it took us to long to walk through those trees too?" Faith asked Kennedy.

The younger Slayer thought about it for a minute. "You're right, there's supposed to be a fence that marks the end of the cemetery. We should have reached that before going that far."

"Hmm, we'll have tomorrow's patrol take a look at the surrounding area. Don't worry we'll keep them far away from that shack," Giles finished after noticing the look Faith was giving him. "Just have them see if they can figure out what happened to the fence."

"Something was fishy about that clearing," Kennedy went on.

"You're right, it was almost like it didn't belong there," Faith agreed a little too loudly.

"Yeah, it was like the ground beneath our feet changed once we stepped past the trees. The grass was different," Kennedy kept going, trying to remember every detail.

"That's it!" Faith exclaimed. "It was like that whole area had just been dropped in from somewhere else."

"Mama? Why you yelling?" Vaeh asked from the doorway to the living room, trying to rub the sleepiness out of her eyes.

"Sorry, baby, I was just remembering something."

"Come here, sweetie," Buffy told her, holding her arms out for the little girl.

Nevaeh didn't need to be told twice and crawled up into her Mom's lap, laying so she was snuggled into both her mother's chests. Buffy automatically began rubbing her back, trying to lull her back to sleep.

"We thought maybe this demon was from another dimension, is it possible he brought his home with him?" Willow asked quietly, picking up right where they left off, once everyone was sure Nevaeh was sound asleep again. Nobody questioned why they didn't just go put her back to bed. After a night like tonight, having their family together seemed more important than ever.

"I suppose it's possible," Giles admitted, although he'd never heard of such a thing.

"So we're now going with the theory he's not from here then?" Faith asked, just to be clear.

"Yes, I believe so."

"Great, so we got a beast from another dimension that's drawn to my strength and wants to kill me. This should be fun," Faith sarcastically joked, getting a laugh from no one.


	12. Make These Moments Last- February 05

"Hey, Faith," she heard Buffy call out to her from Nevaeh's bathroom, where she was currently doing Nevaeh's hair.

"Yeah B?"

"Will you go get Vaeh's shoes? I'm almost done now and we'll be ready to go."

"Sure thing," Faith answered back, making her way into their little girl's room. The trio were going to be checking in with the Scoobies to see if they'd found any new information. After that they were heading out to spend time together as a family.

Opening the closet doors, Faith squatted down to look for the right pair of shoes. She knew Buffy would send her back in here if the shoes she grabbed didn't 'match her outfit.' Trying to remember what Vaeh was dressed in, she decided on the right pair but didn't see them right away.

Moving things around, her hand hit something that felt hard. Pulling on the object, she found Veah's small purple backpack. The poor thing looked stuffed to overflowing. Opening the zipper, she looked inside to find all of her daughter's favorite toys stuffed inside. Now that she thought about it, the little girl hadn't played with any of these toys for several days. Zipping it back up, she placed it back where she found it, thinking she'd ask her daughter about it later.

Grabbing the shoes she had originally been hunting for, she rolled back on her heels giving her leverage to stand back up. When she reached the bathroom, Vaeh was smiling happily from her place on the counter as she studied her hair in the mirror.

"I pretty, just like Mommy," the little one told her Mama as soon as she saw her reflection in the mirror. Both Buffy and Nevaeh wore matching hairdos, they were braided half way down, but the bottoms where both left free and crimped.

"You certainly are, baby," Faith told her, moving to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Mama doesn't know what she did to deserve to call the two most beautiful girls in the whole world her own."

"Not that you're biased or anything," Buffy tried to tease, but her voice betrayed her real feelings on the compliment Faith had just given both of them. Grabbing her wife's arm, she pulled the brunette to her and gave her a lingering kiss.

"Not with the kid in the room, B," Faith joked, when she saw Vaeh watching them closely.

Buffy laughed and gave her a light slap to the shoulder. "Because she's never seen us kiss before," the blonde said sarcastically. They both knew that soon their daughter would be at that age where any affection between them would likely gross her out. But it wasn't going to stop them from showing their love for each other, even if it someday made their daughter roll her eyes at them.

"We ready to go now?" Faith asked once they'd finally gotten around to putting Nevaeh's shoes on that had almost been forgotten about in all their banter.

"Just a second, Mama," Vaeh answered, jumping off the counter and racing out of the room.

Both women just shrugged at each other, walking hand in hand out of the room to see where their daughter had gone. The preschooler appeared in the hallway a minute later with her purple backpack flung over her shoulders.

"Shoulda known, she's been attached to that thing the last few days," Buffy said quietly to Faith.

Faith hadn't noticed, but then most of the time she'd seen Nevaeh lately was here at home, so it's possible it had escaped her attention, but still she wondered about it. "Wonder why," she thought out loud.

"I don't know, she won't let me even look in it," Buffy said, like it was no big deal. The blonde just figured it was a kid thing. She remembered Dawn getting protective of some of her stuff when they were younger.

With the front door closed behind them, Nevaeh took place between her moms, holding both their hands. Every now and then the two women would lift and swing her through the air, causing Nevaeh to laugh and scream. The walk to the main building was a short one, but they'd only be there for a bit before having the rest of the day to spend together.

"Found anything yet?" Buffy asked, as soon as they walked into the research library where all their friends were busy. They had been working furiously on trying to find the dimension Tarzar was from, hoping it would give them some clue as to what his ultimate goal was.

"Not yet. I'm sorry, Buffy."

"It's okay, Will," Buffy told her friend, moving to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. She knew she could trust them to do what they could. No one in this room wanted to see this situation turn deadly for any of them.

"It is possible that he only looks human here in our dimension," Giles started to explain. "I do wish we knew what kind of demon he was, it would be useful in determining where to look."

"Well I highly doubt he'd be willin' to share that information," Faith spouted.

"Quite right."

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out," Willow told them, trying to be positive. Standing up, she walked over to Faith and discretely handed her the piece of paper she was carrying. "Here's that thing you wanted," she whispered. "Should be safe, even with Buffy's potential situation."

"Thanks, Red," she told the witch, pulling her in for a hug to thank her properly for everything she had done and was doing. "Mean it, I appreciate it."

"We love you too, Faith," Willow told her sincerely.

Not one to let emotions get the best of her, Faith pulled back before too much longer. The Scoobies watched as the small Summers family made their way back out of the library. None of them were the least bit upset that the women were choosing to spend this time together rather than helping them. If this didn't go the way they all hope it would, then they would need this time together.

**~BF~**

"So where we off to?" Buffy asked, as soon as they were once again outside. Faith had planned today for them. She watched as Faith grabbed a bag she hadn't noticed sitting next to the building before, and throwing it over her shoulder.

"It's a surprise." Buffy rolled her eyes, hating surprises but moved to walk back to their house. "Where ya going, B?"

"Don't we need the car?"

"Nah, got something better," Faith smiled, holding out the paper Willow had given her earlier.

"What is that?" Buffy asked curiously, not sure what her wife was up to. She didn't understand what a piece of paper could have to do with how they were going to get to where they were going.

"You'll see," Faith told her. "Now we gotta all hold hands." She knelt down to look Nevaeh in the eye. "No matter what, don't let go of me and Mommy, okay?" Nevaeh nodded her head to show she understood. As soon as she was sure they were ready, Faith began to recite the words on the paper in front of her.

All three girls felt a pull, and everything became slightly fuzzy, but they all held on to each other like a life line. Before they could even process what was happening, they found themselves standing on a beach.

"Faith, where are we?" Buffy asked as she faced her wife, once she felt she could talk. "What was that?"

"Transportation spell," Faith smiled. "As for where we are, we're on a beach," she said teasingly.

"I can see that, goofball. But it feels much too warm for February, even for California," the blonde stated. They'd been in Ohio for awhile now, but she still remembered what her home state felt like during the winter months.

"That's why we're in Hawaii, Somewhere on the shores of Oahu if I got the location right during the spell."

"Hawaii?" Buffy squealed.

Faith smiled to see Buffy so happy. The older Slayer had always loved the beach, having grown up in California. But since they'd moved to Cleveland, they hadn't had a chance to take a vacation and hit the water. "Figured if we were gonna spend the day on the beach, why not Hawaii right?"

"This is amazing," Buffy agreed. Moving in front of the brunette, Buffy placed a kiss on her lover's lips. "Thank you, baby. I love you so much."

"Love you too."

Walking along the coast, the trio found a small alcove that didn't seem like it got much traffic. They wanted to just spend as much time together as possible and not worry about having to fight or move around people constantly.

Sitting the bag on the ground, Faith began to pull out a blanket and spread it out on the sand. After that came three towels, each with a swimsuit rolled inside, and a life jacket for Nevaeh. Next came a small cooler filled with enough sandwiches, snacks and drinks to last the whole day.

"How did you manage to fit all that in there?" Buffy asked, shocked. It was a fairly large duffle bag, but even still…

"Magic," Faith joked. "Nah, I just know how to pack to utilize space," she told her seriously.

Faith helped an eager little girl get into her suit, while keeping an eye out to make sure no one walked within sight while Buffy did the same. As soon as she was changed, Buffy did the same while Faith slipped into her own bikini.

"Ah, get your butt back here," Buffy told Nevaeh when she tried to race towards the water. "You need sunscreen on first," she told her. "You did bring sunscreen right?" Buffy finished, turning her attention to Faith.

"Of course," the younger woman told her, looking through the bag and pulling out the pink tube.

"Awe man," the four-year old pouted, as she trudged back over to where her moms sat. She sat impatiently, trying not to wiggle as her Mom covered every inch of her body in what she could only think felt like slim.

"Okay, go play," she finally heard out of her Mom's mouth. "But don't go in too deep until we get out there with you," came the order. Nevaeh put her head down, at least she was getting to go play, but her Mom was taking away all her fun. Before any minds could be changed, the little girl took off at break neck speed, heading straight into the water without slowing down.

"That girl is gonna be the death of me," Buffy muttered, as she watched Nevaeh flop into the water.

Faith wrapped her arms around her wife, pulling Buffy into her. "Don't worry so much, B. She'll be fine," she whispered, placing a kiss into the blonde locks.

Buffy sighed, leaning back into Faith, taking comfort in the safety she felt. She smiled as they watched their daughter splash and play in the rolling water in front of them. She knew that today would soon be listed as one of the best days of her life.

Turning to look up at Faith, she put a hand in the brown tresses and pulled her head down to kiss her. It started gentle at first, but quickly picked up pace as they both let themselves just get lost in each other.

Nevaeh took a look at her mothers to see they were too busy with each other to notice her. She contemplated moving further into the water, but she knew if her Mom caught her she'd be in big trouble. She wasn't about to let her fun be taken away from her. She loved the water too much.

Instead, she pretended she was a mermaid, caught between her love of the land and her desire for the sea. _She might have watched Little Mermaid one too many times._ Every now and then she'd glance at her parents and smile. She might only be four, but she took great comfort in the love they showed her and for each other. Something in her heart told her not everyone was so lucky.

After what seemed like forever, the two women finally joined their daughter in the water. The three splashed each other, and Faith and Buffy took turns throwing Nevaeh further out into the surf, while the other stood close to the projected landing place in case she needed help.

Faith watched Buffy as she played with Nevaeh. The two were taking turns flinging water at each other. Laughing when they managed to hit their target. As discreetly as possible, Faith slipped under the water. Swimming stealthily as she could, the brunette made her way towards Buffy.

At that same time, Buffy was watching and waiting for her daughter's next assault to fly. The two stared each other down, trying to see who would back out first. It was a contest that possibly had no winner, as Vaeh had proved to have inherited Buffy's stubbornness.

What she had failed to notice until it was too late, was where her wife had gone to. Before she knew what was happening, she felt her legs being uprooted beneath her. She barely had time to hold her breath before she was sinking down deep into the water. As soon as the hands that held her let go, she pushed herself back to the surface.

Breaking out of the water, she coughed and sputtered trying to shake all the water out of her that didn't belong. "You are so dead, Faith," she growled once she was finally able to talk again.

Faith, who had been laughing as she watched her wife try to get herself back together, quickly stopped when she looked at the murderous look in the blonde's eyes. Before she could move away, Buffy dived at her, wrapping her arms around Faith's shoulders and pulling them both back under.

Both women were laughing when they finally resurfaced, causing Nevaeh to laugh even harder at their antics. She wasn't sure at first if her Mom was really mad at her Mama, but when they both laughed, she knew everything was okay. She loved watching her parents play.

"Come on, squirt," Faith said, holding her hand out for Nevaeh. "Let's go get some lunch."

Wrapping their towels around themselves to ward off the very small February chill, they seated themselves on the blanket and waited while Faith pulled out their sandwiches. As soon as they each took the first bite, they realized how hungry swimming had made them. Eating in relative quiet, the food was gone before any of them could even blink an eye.

Nevaeh's eyes started to droop some, but she was too energized to sleep. She hardly ever took naps anymore, but today had been a long one and it was tempting. So she didn't hesitate when her Mama told her to come crawl in her lap. She just snuggled in deep, loving the feel of being where she was.

"Baby, what's up with the backpack full of toys?" Faith asked gently, running her hands through the dark curly hair.

"In case we move again," Nevaeh told her around a yawn.

"Awe, sweetheart," Buffy said sadly, quickly picking up on what was going on, as well as Faith.

"Hey, munchkin, listen to me," Faith told their daughter, tilting the girl's head up so she could look into her eyes. "You don't need to worry about that. I told you, you're not moving again. I promise you."

"Mama's right. We're not moving anywhere. We're not sure what's gonna happen with the bad guy, but we know that we won't have to leave like we did last time. Okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," Vaeh said. If both her moms were saying the same thing it had to be true.

"But I do want to talk to you about something," Faith told Nevaeh, pulling the little girl's attention back to her. "Mom's right, we don't know what's gonna happen, but I want you to know something. I want you to know that I'll always be with you, even if you can't see me anymore. I know you won't understand, but I want you to always remember that I love you. I never knew how much I could love something until you were born. So even if you can't see me anymore, remember I'm always here with you," she told Nevaeh, putting her hand lightly to the little one's heart.

"You are so incredibly special. Don't let anyone tell you any different. You are what brought your moms together. And you will do great things in your life. So no matter what, remember that Mama told you how special you are."

"Okay, Mama," Nevaeh whispered, slowly falling into a small nap.

Faith just pulled her tighter into her arms, putting her in a more comfortable position to sleep. She didn't want to look at Buffy, but she knew it couldn't be avoided, and tears filled her own eyes when she caught sight of her wife's.

Buffy moved to wrap her arms around her girls. Placing a kiss on the top of Vaeh's head before placing a light peck on Faith's lips. "Promise me you'll try," was all Buffy could ask for.

"I promise." And she would try to make it out of this battle alive. They both had finally accepted that what was coming was inevitable. They just both prayed for the outcome to be in their favor. But at least for today, they were together. They'd worry about tomorrow when it came.


	13. Battle Rages On- March 05

The usual quiet of the cemetery was absent, instead filled with yelling and screaming. "Kennedy, incoming!" Faith yelled to her second in command, pointing west where about ten more vampires were coming to join the party.

"Shit!" Kennedy yelled back. Grabbing several girls that were free, they ran, diving head first into a battle with the late comers.

Faith turned back to take out two more vamps that were headed her way, taking a split second to take stock of where they were. They had been fighting for over a half hour now, and there seemed to be an endless supply of the undead coming after them. Their army of thirty or so Slayers may not be enough.

Out of the corner of her eye, Faith caught sight of a lanky blonde vamp springing from a low branch on the tree a few feet away, heading straight for her. As the vamp flew through the air, Faith took a swing of the Scythe, easily beheading the woman, shaking the dust out of her hair as it fell around her.

A few of the younger girls lay motionless on the ground, the brunette wasn't sure if they were dead or alive. More of the undead came from the opposite side of where Kennedy's team was fighting. They were completely surrounded. Retreat wasn't a possibility any longer.

"Slayer," a voiced hissed behind her, making Tarzar's appearance known for the first time since the battle began. "It's about time we meet again."

Faith was ready to shoot back with a quick retort, but found herself unable to move. Her eyes surveyed the scene around them as another Slayer hit the ground. She could swear she heard a voice call her name, but she couldn't see who it was or even hear the voice clear enough to know who it was.

Before she had time to figure out where the sound was coming from, a sharp pain emanating from her stomach, was felt throughout her whole body, and she could only wonder how they got here.

_**Earlier that day…** _

Faith circled around, trying to find her opponents weak spot. It only took a minute, but she zeroed in on it, kicking out, she hit Kennedy square in the back of the knee, making her fall to the floor. Smirking, she reached a hand down to the younger girl, helping her back to her feet. "Your skills are improvin' nicely. Took me awhile to get the drop on ya."

Kennedy just gave an annoyed sigh, disappointed to be defeated yet again. All the Slayers in the world may have the power now, but it was apparent that Buffy and Faith would always be just a little bit stronger, a little bit faster. And it drove her crazy that no matter how many times her and Faith sparred, she always lost. "Next time," she told Faith with more confidence than she felt.

"Yeah, yeah, you always say that," Faith laughed, gently bumping her friend's shoulder. "How's things with you and the brat?" she asked, after a minute, realizing neither her nor Buffy had thought about the young couple much since this whole thing with Tarzar began. Dawn had come to Buffy a few times in the beginning, asking questions and getting advice. But the younger Summers girl had either finally started figuring things out on her own, or had simply left Buffy alone, knowing what she was dealing with.

"Things are good. Really good. I don't know if I dare tell you how good."

"Why not? You can tell me."

"You, yes. Buffy on the other hand, would probably kill me," Kennedy admitted, saying all she needed to for Faith to figure out what the other girl meant.

"Ah, I see."

"We took it slow, as in a sloth's pace kind of slow. We didn't want to screw it up, ya know? Knowing how things in our life worked. Plus the whole girl thing was new to Dawn. But it was just time. And it's been amazing," she admitted almost shyly. Not sure she wanted to admit such a thing to Dawn's own sister-in-law.

"I get it, and Buffy will too. Yeah she's protective of her sis, but she wants her to be happy. She's the one that encouraged her to talk to you. Don't worry so much, a'ight?" Faith gave her another gentle bump to the shoulder. "She might have a mini melt down, realizing baby sis is all grown, but she'll get over it."

**~BF~**

About this same time, Willow was deep in the net, searching through online copies of old occult books, trying to find anything she could. "Ah ha!" she squealed excitedly.

"Did you find something?" Giles asked.

"Yes, I think I did." She went on to tell the others in the room what she'd found, discussing what it could mean and theorizing on if she was right.

"Xander, go find Buffy and Faith, so we can tell them," the older man commanded.

Xander came walking back in twenty minutes later with Buffy and Faith both in tow.

"What you got for us, G?" Faith asked, moving to take a seat in her favorite spot on the brown couch, where Willow and Tara also currently resided. Reaching out, she grabbed Buffy's arm, guiding her to sit in her lap. Times like this, she wanted the only person she would ever love to be by her side.

"Actually, Willow thinks she found something." The couple turned then to look at the redheaded witch.

"Yes, it took a lot of cross referencing, but I think I've finally found who our mysterious Tarzar is. He's not mentioned by name anywhere, but there are references that seem to refer to him nonetheless."

"There's more, isn't there, Will?" Buffy asked, when her friend seemed to not want to go on.

"Yes, there is. We were wrong assuming he wanted the Slayer line in some form. From what I've discovered, it seems as if he needs the essence of the last chosen Slayer, meaning Faith, to increase his power," Will finished, finally letting them know once and for all that Faith was in fact the key figure in all this.

"My essence?" Faith asked, unsure of what exactly that meant.

"From what I could gather, he has a special sword. Might be what he uses to steal a person's essence."

"Body shall be pierced leaving her cold," Faith all but whispered, remembering the words from the prophecy. "Makes sense I guess. So just gotta stay away from this sword and I'll be good."

"Why does he want her essence? What does he need the power for?" Buffy asked, needing to know more about what they were up against.

"Well in a sense, that's the good news. From what I've ascertained, in Mictlan, where I believe he is originally from, it is tradition that in order to become ruler, you must seek out a new source of power that the people hadn't yet seen. He's chosen Faith as his campaign ticket, if you will," Giles tried to explain as best as he could understand it.

"That's it? He creates havoc over here and then just goes home?" Buffy rolled her eyes, thinking this all sounded too much like the whole Glory situation.

"Most likely."

"Stupid demons," Buffy pouted, folding her arms over her chest and snuggling deeper into Faith's chest.

Faith smiled, and placed a kiss on the side of Buffy's head. Sometimes her wife was just too cute not to smile, even given the circumstances. "Demons are stupid, I agree with ya there," Faith told her, hugging her tighter. "So, what's the game plan?" she asked, turning to the others.

The core Scooby group spent the rest of the afternoon coming up with some way to get rid of Tarzar once and for all, whether just getting him to go home, or killing his ass. Faith was voting for the killing.

**~BF~**

By the end of the planning session, both Buffy and Faith could feel the emotions of the other, and a battle was going to be had between the both of them. But doing so in front of their friends was not something either of them wanted to do.

So instead, once the planning was done with for the time being, they both headed quickly home in silence, waiting until the door was closed tight behind them. Both women looked deeply into their wife's, waiting for the other to break or speak first.

"I'm going and you're staying home!" Buffy finally growled out.

"No, I'm going and you're staying home!" Faith yelled back.

"Then we're both going!"

"Buffy, no. Think about this for a second, baby," Faith tried hoping she could make her wife see reason. "We can't risk something happening to both of us. Nevaeh needs one of us to make it out of this. She needs you, B. And what if you're pregnant, we can't risk it."

"I'll be careful, I promise."

"Not good enough, B. I could never live with myself if something happened."

"And if you go, you might die. How do you expect me to live with that?" Buffy asked with tears in her eyes.

Faith sighed, pulling Buffy into her arms, placing a kiss in the soft blonde hair. "I know, baby. But this is my fight. You get that right?"

The smaller girl sniffled, "Yes, I know. But I still don't want you to go."

"I know, baby, I know." Leaning down, she placed a passion filled kiss on her wife's lips. "You need to stay behind though. For me, please. If you were there, I'd just worry about ya, and it'd be distracting."

"I love you, so much," Buffy told her, not agreeing, but for now she'd let Faith win this one, because if it was true and Faith was distracted, well she'd never live with herself if she was the reason her lover let her guard down enough to get her killed.

"I love you, too. So much more than I'd ever be able to tell you. You have no idea how just knowing I had you and Nevaeh, even if it's only for a little bit, has meant to me. I never thought I'd get this. I wished, but I never dared dream it would happen. You gotta stay strong, not matter what happens. Remember, you and me, we're connected. That won't die, even if I do."

"Don't talk like that, you're coming home!" Buffy tried one last time to make herself believe that everything would be okay.

"I love you, Buffy Summers," Faith said one last time, kissing her on the lips with a second passion filled kiss. Before the blonde even had a chance to realize the kiss was over, Faith had grabbed her weapons and was out the door.

**~BF~**

Buffy sat unmoving on the couch, her mind focused on what could possibly be happening in a cemetery not too far from where she sat. She knew Willow and Tara were upstairs putting her little girl to bed. She should be doing it herself, but she didn't know if she had it in her to face her daughter and pretend that everything was okay right now.

Instead she put all her focus on trying to feel Faith. So long as she could feel her, even just the tiniest bit because of the distance, she knew she was at least still alive.

"Brought you a drink," Dawn approached Buffy, a glass of water in her hand.

"Thanks," Buffy said softly, taking the clear class from her sister's hand and taking a sip. She wasn't sure she could handle much more than that. "Everything's going to be alright, right?" Buffy asked hopefully, desperate for Dawn to tell her everything was going to be fine.

"I can't even imagine what you must be going through. I'm a little freaked myself over Kennedy being out there, but she's not the one he's after."

At the mention of Faith's second in command for the night, she turned to really look at her sister. "How's that going? You two, I mean."

"Good, great actually. I'm really happy," Dawn admitted almost guiltily, because her sister was far from happy at the moment.

"I'm glad. And I'm just going to pretend I have no idea why you are so happy," Buffy smiled, fully determined to stay in her own little world of denial that her baby sister even knows what sex was.

"Probably for the best," Dawn agreed, as Willow and Tara came to join them in the living room. Anya had been wandering around the house, restlessly. Xander had gone with the girls, he wasn't going to try and fight, but he wanted to be an extra ear and eyes if he could to help the girls out.

They sat in relative silence for well over thirty minutes, before Buffy started to swear she could hear Vaeh tossing and turning from upstairs. She was starting to get a not pleasant feeling in her stomach.

When a scream came from upstairs, Buffy dashed up the stairs. When she reached the little girl's room, she was sitting up in bed, rubbing tears from her eyes. The feeling in her gut increased. "What's the matter, baby?" Buffy asked as calmly as she could.

"Bad dream, Mama got hurt," the four-year old all but cried.

Buffy wrapped her arms around her daughter, cuddling her close. "Shhh, baby," was all she could offer her. She wasn't going to lie to her girl. So she couldn't tell her everything was alright, or that it was just a dream.

When everyone else finally made it into the room, Buffy let her thoughts tell Willow exactly what she needed to do, knowing the witch would be able to read her mind. "Your aunts are going to stay with you while you go back to sleep, okay?"

"I want you, Mommy," Vaeh cried.

"I know, baby, I know. But I'm going to go check on Mama. I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Okay."

Vaeh let Willow take Buffy's place on her bed. As soon as she was clear of her daughter's hold, Buffy ran for the door. Barely bothering to grab a weapon on her way out. Something wasn't right, and she could feel it in her gut.

She made it to the cemetery in record time. All over Slayers were deep in battle, a few were on the ground. Hurt or dying she wasn't sure, but she couldn't worry about them right now. She had to find Faith.

She started screaming her name, hoping she'd get a response. No response came, so she slowly made her way through the bodies, staking whatever came near her. Finally she caught sight of the familiar brown hair, and behind her stood a man with a nasty looking sword.

"Faith!" she screamed again, trying to get her wife to turn and see what was behind her. Pushing her way through the crowd she was helpless as she watched the human-like demon bring his blade back and slide it through Faith's stomach.

She felt as if she was moving in slow motion as a blue like light or mist surrounded the woman she loved. It held place for several seconds. By the time Buffy was a few feet away, the blue mist dissipated and Tarzar was gone with it. She watched in horror as Faith's body fell to the ground, not moving.


	14. Descent- March 05

Time stood still, for a moment the world just stopped. Buffy wasn't sure she was even breathing, she couldn't move, couldn't make those final steps to Faith's side. Faith just needed to hop back up and insist she was five by five, then everything would be okay. But if she made those final steps, and her wife was… she couldn't even think about that.

She heard someone shout, but her mind had blurred the words. No sight, no sound, no smell entered her mind, instead there was just nothing. Her knees gave out and she sunk to the ground, eyes filled with tears. The few feet of earth between them felt like miles. Nothing mattered, not anymore.

Kennedy watched the whole scene unfold, unable to get to Faith in time. "Katie, Dani, get Buffy, everyone else, gather up the others," she commanded pointing at the immobilized blonde. "I'll grab Faith. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

Snapping to attention, Katie and Dani did as told and moved to Buffy, she didn't respond to them, but did allow them to pick her up and settle her between them, guiding her out of the cemetery. Tarzar got what he wanted, so Kennedy didn't think he'd be back, but better to be safe than sorry. Not taking the time to assess the situation, she just picked up Faith and threw her over her shoulder, leading the way back to the compound.

Those with the other wounded or dead in their arms took place behind those helping the Chosen Two. The rest of the Slayers walked in a single line behind them, showing respect for the fallen in this battle. They weren't soldiers, but in moments like these, they might as well be.

The compound gates opened to welcome them home, but it didn't give them comfort, not today. Kennedy headed straight for the infirmary, she didn't think anything could be done for Faith, but they had to try. Placing her down on a cot, she turned to Willow and Tara who met them there, hoping that if medicine couldn't save her maybe magic could.

"Keep Buffy out of here," Willow told the young Slayer. "Whatever you do, do not let her in here. She doesn't need to watch if it's hopeless," the witch finished, trying not to let her own emotions get the best of her.

"Don't think it'd matter much anyway. She watched her get stabbed and then went pretty much comatose."

"That's just how she deals, she'll come around. I just hope we have good news for her when she does."

"Willow says to keep her out of that room," Kennedy told the two SITs that were still sitting with Buffy in the chairs next to the room they'd taken Faith into.

"Should we take her back to her place?" Katie asked.

Kennedy thought about it for a minute. Katie and Dani joined them only a few months before, they didn't know the Summers family as well as she did. "No, we don't want Nevaeh to see her Mom like this. Why don't you two take off, I got this," she added as an afterthought.

After asking if she was sure, the other two left, leaving her alone with Buffy. Picking up the small blonde, she took her into another of the rooms in the infirmary and laid her down on a clean bed. Once she was sure the other woman was comfortable, she reached for a cell phone, pulling it out of her pocket, she hit the number one name on her speed dial, calling her girlfriend.

"Hey, Dawn, it's me. Listen, is Anya still there?" waiting for a response, she was glad when Dawn told her that she was. "Good, tell her to stay with Vaeh and get over to the infirmary, your sis needs you. She's not hurt," she quickly assured before her girlfriend could freak out. "I'll explain when you get here, we're in room four."

**~BF~**

Buffy took a breath, as Faith taunted her, telling her she didn't have it in her to kill her. Why would she be saying these things? She was confused, they didn't hate each other anymore, they loved each other. They were the other one's soul mate.

Looking around, she realized why. They were back on that roof, back to that night. The night she wished she could forget. Erase from her memory. She had no control over her own body, and was forced to replay her part of that night. She hated herself every minute, but she couldn't stop it from playing out.

As she felt the knife sink into Faith's body, she wanted to wail with anguish, but all she could do is stare into her wife's eyes. She was so filled with anger last time, she didn't let her brain process what it saw. But this time, when she looked at Faith it was with nothing but love, and she could finally see what she hadn't been able to see the last time.

This time she saw the sadness in her love's eyes, her relief that Buffy had stopped her. And in that moment, Buffy knew that was when she started to fall for Faith. It wasn't until Nevaeh came into her life that she let herself feel it, but her love had started as she watched Faith fall backwards off the roof.

Flashes of time moved through her mind's eye, landing on their first night in their new home in Cleveland. The two of them heading for Buffy's bedroom, flashes of their first night together. The night Buffy would never forget, it was cemented forever in her memory.

She never knew Faith could be so gentle with another human being, so loving. But the way she'd touched her that night, every moment was filled with love and tenderness. Like Buffy was a precious package she didn't want to break.

She'd never imagined what making love with another woman would be like, but now she wasn't sure she could totally be happy or satisfied with a man. No that's not true, she could never be happy with anyone other than Faith.

Faith, Faith, Faith, her name just kept running through her mind. Where was she? Where was her wife? For that matter, where was she? Time had lost all meaning, as her mind traveled through time from one momentous moment, to the next.

She could swear she heard someone calling her name, but it was distorted. She tried to shake herself out of this time warp she'd found herself in. "Buffy." That time she was sure she heard someone call her name, but she couldn't tell who it was.

"Buffy, come on, we need to talk to you," Willow kept trying. She could see the look in her friend's eyes and knew she was trying to make her way back to them, but something was holding her back.

"Buffy, come back to us," Dawn tried sadly. She hated seeing her sister like this. It reminded her too much of when their mom died, and Buffy just shut everyone out. Everyone but Nevaeh… "Call Anya, tell her to bring Nevaeh," Dawn told Xander.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Willow asked.

"She's the only one that can get her out of this. Remember when Mom died and she shut down?"

"She's right, Vaeh was so little, but it was her crying that finally got her back for us," Tara reminded them.

"Alright," Xander agreed, stepping out of the room to make the call.

A few minutes later, Willow met Anya and Vaeh out in the hallway. Bending down so she was face to face with Nevaeh. "Your Mommy isn't feeling really good right now, so we need you to go in and make her feel better, okay? Don't be scared if she acts different, alright?"

"Okay, Auntie Willow, I make her feel better," the little girl said with resolve. She knew something more was going on, but she was too little to know to ask. Her Mom needed her, and for now that's all she really needed to know. Maybe her Mom would tell her about her Mama once she felt better.

"Mommy, I here to make you feel better," Vaeh said, as she walked into the room to find her mom tucked into bed on the cot, but getting no reaction. Moving towards the bed, she lifted the covers and climbed in next to her mother. "Mommy," she tried again, putting her tiny hands on her mother's cheeks, placing a kiss on her nose, like her Mom had done to her a hundred times. "Mommy, I here."

"Nevaeh?" Buffy whispered, almost in disbelief. It was the first word she'd uttered since the cemetery. Finally her eyes moved back into the present. She didn't bother to take notice of where she was, instead all she cared about was the feel of her little girl burrowing into her chest. "Oh, Nevaeh," she cried, wrapping her arms around her daughter, pulling her close to her heart, placing a tender kiss into her soft brown hair.

"It's okay, Mommy, I here," Vaeh assured her again.

"I'm so glad you're here, baby. Mommy really needed you," she admitted, finally getting her bearings again and getting back to the present. "But how about you go out with Auntie Anya for a minute, find Mommy something to eat."

"Okay, Mommy," Vaeh agreed easily, climbing back out of the bed. Grabbing her aunt's hand, she led her out of the room in search of some soup. Mommy always brought her soup when she wasn't feeling good. So she'd bring her some of that.

Once they were out of the room, Buffy finally got the courage to look into her best friend's eyes. "Just tell me, Willow."

The redhead moved to sit in the vacant spot beside Buffy. Placing a tender hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry, Buffy. I tried everything I could think of. I couldn't bring her back. I tried, Buffy, I really tried," Willow cried.

Tears filled Buffy's eyes, she didn't bother to wipe them away, instead letting them fall. "Please tell me this isn't happening," she pleaded. "Please, anybody, please," she tried, looking into the face of everyone in the room with her. "Where is she?" she demanded.

"Next door," Xander answered hesitantly. "But Buffy maybe you shouldn't…"

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before Buffy was up and running out of the room. Before anyone could follow her, she entered the other room, slamming the door shut and slipping a chair underneath it, so no one could enter.

Only once she was sure she'd have privacy did she turn around. A body lay motionlessly, covered by a white sheet from head to toe. Hesitantly she moved closer, gathering everything she had in her, she pulled the sheet down, and stared down at the face of the woman she loved.

"Faith, no, baby, no," she cried. "Please wake up, please. We need you. Nevaeh and I need you. Please, baby," she pleaded, but got no response. "Please just wake up and hold me. Tell me everything is going to be alright. Please."

Buffy cried there for what felt like hours. Everything she'd ever wanted, all her dreams were with the woman before her. She didn't know how to go on without her. She cried until there were no tears left in her to cry. Climbing on the bed, she wrapped her arms around the cold body, still wishing this was all some nightmare. Finally exhausted, she fell into a light sleep, praying when she woke up, it would be to a different world.

**~BF~**

"How's she doing?" Xander asked Willow several hours later. They'd finally managed to get into the room, finding their friend sound asleep, curled into Faith's lifeless body. Xander had managed to carry her home without waking her. She might be pissed at them later for that, but it wasn't good for her to stay so close to where Faith now laid.

"She's still sleeping," Willow answered, exhaustion evident in her voice. They'd all been up all night, but no one dared fall asleep. Too afraid of what Buffy would do when she woke up.

"Has anyone told Nevaeh?"

"No, Anya managed to get her back to sleep after she convinced her that she'd make sure her Mom got the soup she made her. Besides, I think that's a conversation Buffy needs to have with her."

"You're probably right," Xander sighed. None of them wanted to believe this was real. They knew it was all a possibility, but still, none of them really believed it would happen. They'd dealt with death many times, but this was different. There was a child involved. How were they supposed to handle this?

They both turned, when they heard a faint cry come from upstairs. Getting up from the couch, they both made their way up to Buffy's room, finding her thrashing in her sleep. "Faith, no, Faith, behind you."

"Buffy, wake up," Willow spoke, gently shaking Buffy trying to wake her up. "It's…" she stopped, she was about to tell her it was just a dream, but how could she do that when Buffy was clearly reliving the night before? "Wake up," she simply tried again.

"Willow?" the blonde questioned, finally waking. "Willow," she said again, but this time, crying into her friend's arms. "Please tell me this isn't real."

"I'm so sorry," her friend cried with her. "We'll get through this."

"No, we won't. Faith is gone, there's no getting through that," she told her, trying to pull herself together. "Where's Nevaeh?" she asked, as soon as she realized what still needed to be done.

"She's sleeping."

She looked at her alarm clock, seeing it was after seven in the morning. Late enough to wake her up for the day. "You guys can head downstairs, or leave if you want. I'm okay," she half lied. She'd never be okay without Faith, but she really didn't relish the idea of being hovered over. "I'm going to go talk to my daughter."

"No, Mommy, you wrong! Mama not dead!" Vaeh shouted a little while later, after Buffy had gently broken the news to their baby girl.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," Buffy tried to pull Vaeh into her arms, but the girl just shrugged her off.

"No, she not dead! I know she not!"

Buffy sighed, not knowing what to do. She knew it was going to be hard on Nevaeh, but she wasn't expecting this complete denial. The only thing she could do now was be there for when Nevaeh finally accepted what had happened.

**~BF~**

Every resident of the Slayer school stood outside at the back of the compound. Before them, three large holes were dug, with caskets hanging over them. Two other Slayers had lost their lives that night.

When there was only one Slayer it was easy to let their death go unexplained and let the proper protocols take place. But now that there were hundreds, they had decided to dedicate a part of the grounds to a small cemetery. This was the first time it's been used.

The first time the earth had been dug up, and it was to bury her wife. No other thought could enter her mind, because that was all she could think about. She was sad for the other two girls they were also burying today, but it didn't compare to staring down into the casket Xander had built for her wife.

With Nevaeh's hand in her own, they watched as the other part of their family was lowered into the ground. The only thought on Buffy's mind as the ropes stopped moving signifying it had hit the ground, was that this wasn't real. This couldn't be real.


	15. Misery- March 05

_**Day 3** _

Reaching down, Buffy takes Nevaeh's hand and leads them both back towards their home. None of this is real, it can't be real. She was in a nightmare that wouldn't end. It's been three days since she saw her wife's smiling face, and still it didn't feel real.

She didn't bother to stay and watch as some of the SITs began filling in the ground. Nevaeh didn't need to see that, and frankly, neither did she. That would make this even more real, and it was too real as it was. She didn't bother to notice if her friends stayed or followed her. She didn't bother to think about anything other than the small hand in her own, and each step forward.

"You want to change out of those clothes?" Buffy asked her daughter as soon as they were through the door to their home.

"No, I just wanna go to my room," Vaeh sighed sadly.

"Okay, baby," Buffy told her despondently. She understood, that's all she wanted to do too. Sighing, she watched as her little girl wandered up the stairs, before following her up them, heading to her own room.

She didn't bother to undress, it didn't matter anyway. Just like everything else in her life. Pulling the covers back, she crawled into bed. Pulling Faith's pillow into her arms, she breathed the scent in. Finally allowing the tears to fall, she cried in anguish.

What was she supposed to do now? How was she supposed to move on? She couldn't, because without Faith, the only thing holding her here was Nevaeh. For the first time since they'd gotten Faith out of prison, she'd wished they'd left her there. At least then maybe she would still be safe. But then she wouldn't have been able to love her. It just didn't make any sense.

**~BF~**

Nevaeh was going through her own thoughts as she sat on her bed. She was so confused. None of this made sense. Her Mommy was so sad, and kept telling her that her Mama died. But that can't be true. It just can't be. She knew she was gone though, and she missed her. But she couldn't be dead.

Her Mom had done everything to show her that she was, but she just couldn't believe it. They'd showed her what looked like her Mama sleeping in that box that Uncle Xander had built that they put in the ground. It did look like her Mama, but her small mind couldn't seem to come to grips with the war that was going on between her heart and her head.

But if it was true, who was she going to play with now? Mommy played with her some, but it wasn't anything like Mama. They got into so much trouble together. More than once her Mommy had put them both in time out. She wasn't sure how you put a Mama in time out, but whenever they got in trouble her Mama would start apologizing constantly and trying to get her Mommy to smile again. And then they'd kiss like they hadn't for a long time. The tyke always had to roll her eyes at how her parents behaved sometimes.

Hearing commotion downstairs, she decided to see what was going on. She was pretty sure her Mom had followed her upstairs, so she was curious. Peaking into her parent's room, she found her Mom was sound asleep, which made her even more eager to know what she'd heard downstairs.

"Hey, kiddo, where's your mom?" Aunt Willow asked as soon as she made it into the living room to find most of their family hanging around.

"She sleeping," the tot answered, not sure what was going on. It almost looked like a party, but parties where for when you were happy, not sad like they all were.

Willow just nodded her head. "You hungry, baby?"

"A little bit," Vaeh answered, realizing she was indeed getting a bit hungry. It seemed like forever since she had her bowl of cereal this morning.

"Well, we got plenty of food in the kitchen. Let's go find you something to eat."

"Okay," the little girl followed her aunt in search of food.

_**Day 7** _

"No, Faith, no. I didn't mean to. Please, baby," Buffy cried. She was stuck on that roof again, but every night she had this dream it changed just a little bit. Tonight as she felt the knife go in, Faith was surrounded by that same blue mist as she had that night in the cemetery. And as Buffy looked into her wife's eyes, they flashed and changed from the teen version of Faith to the older Faith that was her wife, and then back again. Bleeding the past into the present.

She watched as Faith fell off the roof and cried in anguish. The truck drove away, taking the love of her life with her. Faith just gave her a wicked smile, before succumbing to her injuries and passing out.

Every night it was the same thing. She slid down the wall, pulling her knees up to her chest, letting the tears fall. Faith was gone, some stranger had just driven away with her. She wasn't sure if she would ever see her again. She loved her so much, and still, she had no control as once again her hand betrayed her and jammed the knife into her wife's stomach.

And as had happened every morning, she'd shoot straight up in bed, realize it wasn't just a nightmare. Remembering that Faith wasn't there beside her, she'd get so upset, that she'd rush into the bathroom and lose what little contents that were in her stomach. It's not like she was eating much these days.

"Buffy, are you okay?" Willow asked, concerned, entering the bathroom to find her friend slumped against the toilet. She was starting to really worry. She knew Buffy was torn up inside, she would be too if this had happened to Tara. But she'd been working herself up into such a distraught state that it was affecting her physically. Making herself sick like this could not be healthy.

"I'm fine, Will!" the blonde growled out. "Or as fine as I can be, considering my wife just died and left me to raise our daughter alone!" she shouted. She was so sick of these people hovering over her. They never left her alone. They seemed to take turns so someone was always at the house. It was really starting to get on her nerves.

"Buffy," she started trying to comfort.

"No! Don't even! You don't understand what this feels like. It hurts so much I want to just die," she started, letting the tears fall as she did so. "I thought it hurt when I had to kill Angel, but I never knew it could hurt like this. This is a hundred times worse. I just want to be with her again."

Willow hesitantly moved towards the crying girl, intent on taking her into her arms. But as soon as she reached out Buffy shoved her hands away.

"No! I don't need you. I need HER! Don't you get that? I just can't…" the blonde cried before racing out of the bathroom, and then out of the house. She just ran, needing to get away. Their house held too many memories and she just couldn't be there another second.

She let the tears pour like rain as she fell to her knees on the upturned earth of Faith's grave.

"Is my life just some game to you?" She cried to the Powers that Be. "Do you get some sick enjoyment out of this? HUH? Do you? Answer me, damn you!" she threw back her head, looking up at the heavens.

"You pieces of shit. You sit up there on your soap box, and watch us all like it's some great big movie. Do you sit up there and go, 'oh, it's time to mess with Buffy, let's go pop some popcorn'?"

She was so pissed with everyone and everything. The world could just go to hell for all she cared.

"It's not fair, and it's not right! It's not some damn game. I mean what did you think you were doing? You bring us into each other's lives, and just when it was good, you let Faith become our enemy.

"It took me a long time to forgive her, but I did. And then I fell in love with her. So deeply it seems impossible. Why did you let that happen? If you were just going to take her away from me. And what about Nevaeh? She needs her Mama! You want her to be this Savior to Slayers or something right? Isn't that what the prophecy about her is all about?"

An eerie calm comes over her, letting her mind roll through the thoughts in her mind. "Well screw that," she finally shouts. "I'm done. I'm done with this whole save the world shtick. All it's brought me is pain. You have hundreds of other Slayers now. Go screw with them. I'm done, and so is MY DAUGHTER. You hear me? Find yourself someone else to fit into your prophecy. 'Cause I sure as hell am not going to fight for you anymore, and I'll make sure Nevaeh never does either."

Decision made, she heads home, where she plans to stay indefinitely. Right now the only safe place seems to be between the four walls of her home.

**~BF~**

"The Slayer makes a good argument," the Sister told her Brother from their place of watching the scene unfold below them. "Maybe we could send her a little bit of help."

"No!" the Brother said vehemently. "The mortals must work this one out on their own. You know we cannot interfere!"

She knew her Brother was right. This was something the Slayer and her gang would have to work through on their own. But just maybe she could find a way to help without Brother finding out.

_**Day 21** _

To say Dawn and the rest of the gang were worried was a gross understatement. Buffy hadn't left the house in two weeks, not since the day she'd flipped out at Willow. And what was worse, she wouldn't let Nevaeh leave either. She'd locked them both inside the house.

Dawn wasn't sure what happened that day, but when the blonde finally came back, it was like she was a different person. Someone she no longer recognized. She'd thrown them all out of the house and locked the doors behind them. Occasionally Dawn was able to talk her way back into the house, but she was the only one Buffy would even let pass through her doors. And even then, it was never for long. Just long enough to make sure they were both eating, and refilling their groceries for them.

Every day that she managed to get in she could see that her sister looked worse than the time before. She was pale, and had lost weight. The bathroom held evidence that she was still getting sick. Making them all worry, especially with what Willow had finally told them.

The redhead had finally told them all about trying to help the couple conceive. Now they all worried that her illness was no illness at all. But Buffy was clearly not in a state to deal with being pregnant if that was the case. She wouldn't even listen to them when they suggested she get checked out.

"Hey, my favorite niece," Dawn said cheerily, when Nevaeh opened the door to let her in. That was the other thing, her sister would never even come close to the door. She'd taught Nevaeh how to unlock the door and sent her to open it whenever she allowed Dawn in.

"Silly auntie," Nevaeh laughed. She knew her aunt was just teasing her. She loved when she came to visit them. She loved her Mom, but she wasn't fun anymore. She wouldn't let her go outside, and she never laughed or played with her anymore. Instead she spent most of her time upstairs sleeping.

"How are you today?" Dawn asked the little one.

"I want to go play outside, will you take me?" she asked, hoping maybe she could talk her aunt into it. She knew she wasn't allowed outside alone, but her Mom would never go with her anymore.

"Go ask your mom first," Dawn told her. She didn't agree with Buffy, but she didn't want to piss her off either. As it was, she was the only one Buffy even trusted to be around them. If she made her sister mad, there would be no telling what would happen to them with nobody to come check up on them.

"She'll just say no," Vaeh pouted. "Please, we don't have to tell her, just for a little bit," she pleaded.

"Sorry, munchkin, but your Mom's the boss when it comes to you. I gotta do what she says," the older Summers tells her niece, trying not to show how she really feels.

"Dammit!" the little one shouts.

Dawn shoots a look at what the four-year old just said.

Nevaeh knows instantly she's in trouble. "Mama says it," she tries.

"Yes, but you're not an adult, so you don't. Don't say it again. I won't tell your mom this time, but next time I'll have too, got me?" Vaeh just nods her head. "Good. Now how about we get you some lunch, eh?"

The two youngest Summers work together to make themselves something to eat. When she was sure that Vaeh was busy playing, Dawn made her way upstairs with a tray full of food.

"Buffy, I made you some lunch," she called out, entering the bedroom.

"Not hungry," was muttered from under the covers.

"Buffy, you need to eat."

"I said I'm not hungry, just leave me alone." This time the blonde did pop her head out from underneath the covers, but only so that she could shoot her sister a harsh glare.

"I know you're hurting, but slowly killing yourself isn't going to help the situation."

Buffy shot up into a sitting position. "Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about!"

"I may not know exactly how you're feeling, but she was my sister too. We're all grieving. But you need to get out of this bed. If not for yourself, then for Nevaeh. She misses you."

A part of Buffy knows that Dawn is right, but another part of her just wants a good fight. "I know you think it's safer inside," Dawn continues, "but you can't keep her locked in here forever. She needs you and she needs her life back, as much as possible."

Dawn paused, thinking that maybe she was finally getting through. "Here, you might want to use this too," she told her, handing her a something hidden in a brown bag. "Just think about what I said." With that Dawn wandered back downstairs, saying goodbye to her niece, she was out the door, hoping that finally they'd turn a corner with her sister.

_**Day 23** _

Buffy reached for the doorknob, but just before she touched the metal, she pulled her hand back. "Come on, Buffy, you can do this," she told herself. It had only been sixteen days since she'd stepped foot outside the house, but it felt like it had been months, maybe years.

Looking at the clock hanging by the door, she realized she'd been trying to talk herself into doing this for over twenty minutes now. She felt a bit of relief in knowing she'd finally let Nevaeh go out with her Aunt Dawn, so that she didn't have to see her mother be this pathetic.

She was so shocked when she opened that brown bag and saw what was inside. It took her almost two days before she could make herself use it, and even then longer to actually believe the outcome. It still didn't seem real. But not much of anything did right now. Maybe if she could walk out that door and go where she knew she needed to go it would start to feel real again.

"You need to do this," she reminded herself. Hesitantly, her right hand once again reached out. Starting with one finger, she let herself feel the cool metal, before placing a second finger. One by one, she went until, finally her whole hand was touching the knob.

With a quick twist, she yanked the door open and breathed in the fresh air as it floated into the foyer. Until that moment, she hadn't realized how stale the air had become inside the house, how utterly lifeless it was inside.

"One step at a time, you can do this," she said aloud, encouraging no one but herself.

The first step was the hardest, but each step after that got easier and easier. By the time she was several feet away from home, she felt like her old self. Now just to make it to her destination.

It was several minutes before her feet found their way, but she was finally standing over Faith's grave once again. "Hey, baby. Sorry I kind of went reclusive on everyone. But I'm better now, I promise. I just got so scared, and I miss you so much. Dawn finally got through to me and made me see what I was doing. I promise I'll take better care of myself and our daughter from here on out."

She stops letting the emotion wash over her. Taking a deep breath, she calms her heart once again. "I have some news. I don't know how to tell you this. I really wish you were here, but I guess this will have to do. We did it, baby. I'm pregnant."


	16. Dreams and Nightmares- April 05

Buffy stared off into the darkness through the window as she let her hands do their own thing, working to dry off the dinner dishes she had washed shortly before. These quiet moments were the ones that seemed to hurt the most. Nevaeh had long since been in bed, leaving the blonde to nothing but her thoughts.

This used to be the time of day when her and Faith would just spend time together as wives. They'd talk about their day, or just spend the quiet moments within reach of the other. She missed those moments, and was thinking how she'd taken them for granted. She'd never do the same from now on.

Setting the now dry plate up in the cupboard, she folded the towel and sat it beside the sink. Turning so that her back rested against the counter top, she reached a gentle hand to lightly rub her belly. Five days since she'd taken the test and it still didn't seem real. There was a living being inside there. Faith and her were having another baby.

This baby was a miracle. One that she'd never take for granted. She knew that she'd always have a piece of Faith in Nevaeh, but this baby was different. Nevaeh was the greatest thing to happen to them both, but she wasn't planned, she was an amazing and unexpected gift. But this baby was one they'd created together to show their love for each other. Both children would be special for different reasons.

Thinking she probably should go to bed, she made her way slowly out of the kitchen and up the stairs. She had to be up early in the morning. She had her first doctor's appointment and she was extremely excited at the prospect. She figured she was somewhere between six and seven weeks at this point, but it would be nice to have a doctor confirm it.

Slipping a nightgown over her head, she crawled between the sheets and just lay on her back with her hands cradling her still flat stomach. She'd finally stopped having the nightmares about that night on the roof every night, to which she was grateful. But it seemed like she was missing something on the nights she didn't have them. They'd dwindled to just once every couple of days.

Just as she felt herself slipping into dreamland, a cry was heard from her daughter's room. She was hoping they'd get through tonight without that happening. It seemed as if as soon as she'd stop having the nightmares, her daughter had picked them up.

Crawling back out of bed, she moved quickly to Nevaeh's room.

"Mama, please come back," the little one cried in her sleep. "I will, Mama… Yes I promise."

Well this one was obviously different then the other nights. It seemed as if Nevaeh was actually having a full conversation with Faith. She hurt for her baby girl. She was missing Faith something fierce, but she knew she hadn't accepted her death either.

"No, Mama, come back," Vaeh begged, signaling to Buffy that it was time to wake her up.

"Shh, baby, it's okay," Buffy soothed, as she crawled in to the small bed so that she could cradle Vaeh in her arms. "It's just a dream." Placing a kiss in the soft curly hair, she settled them so they were comfortable. She didn't have the energy to move back to her own bed, so looked like she'd just be sleeping in here.

**~BF~**

Buffy woke the next morning, glad to see the sun was up, because it meant there were no more dreams that night. Gently she started to nudge her daughter awake. "Come on, sweetie. Time to get up. Mommy has an appointment to get to."

Sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Me go too?"

"Can I go too," Buffy corrected. Vaeh had been speaking so well, but it seemed that in the last month, she had reverted back to baby speak. It saddened Buffy to realize how this whole situation was affecting her, but hopefully she'd be back to her old self eventually. "And not this time, baby. You're going to go hang out with Aunt Dawn and Kennedy."

"But I wanna go!" the tyke pouted.

Buffy sighed, walking over and placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "I know you do, sweetheart. I don't want to be away from you either," she admitted truthfully, knowing this was the main reason Vaeh wanted to go. But she wasn't ready to explain the new baby to her daughter just yet. "I promise another day you can go, but this one Mommy has to go to alone."

The rest of the morning was mostly spent in silence. Nevaeh was upset with her mother for not letting her go, and already the four-year old had mastered the silent treatment. Buffy just let it go, knowing that by the time she picked up her later, her daughter would have forgotten all about being mad.

"Love you, baby girl," she threw over her shoulder as she headed out of the apartment Dawn now shared with Kennedy. Well, officially the young Slayer still lived in the dorms, but she was never there. Buffy wasn't sure she was ready for her sister to be living with someone, but she knew the girl had really grown up the last couple years, so it wasn't really her place to interfere.

Heading out to the car, she made her way out of the compound and into the city. For now she'd have to make do with regular doctors. They had a few on staff at the school trained for handling the usual Slayer emergencies, but Giles hadn't yet found one trustworthy enough that was qualified as an OBGYN. But with several other Slayers also pregnant, he realized the need and had been looking around.

Sitting in an uncomfortable chair in the middle of the waiting room was unnerving. She'd never been a big fan of hospitals or doctor's offices. She frequented them far more than she'd like to, whether as a patient or a visitor. But today was different. This time it was about the baby inside her, so she'd grin and bear it.

"Miss Summers?" A nurse called through the door leading to the back.

"That's Mrs. Summers," Buffy corrected. She knew technically her marriage to Faith was never legal and even though her wife wasn't with her, she still very much felt married, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. Besides, with any luck Giles would find someone to have on staff and she'd never have to return here again.

"Of course, right this way," the woman said politely, leading her through the halls to an empty room, and began gathering all the necessary information.

Awhile later, she was led into an office and told to sit in front of the desk. It was several minutes before Dr. Brenden finally made her way inside the office. She didn't bother to say a word as she sat down behind the desk and looked at the paperwork in her hands. After being sure she had all the information she needed, she placed the file down and looked at Buffy.

"Well congratulations, Mrs. Summers. You're definitely pregnant, but you knew that. Now you said that you and your partner…" she paused, always allowing her patients to word things the way they see them so she doesn't end up getting things wrong.

"My wife, yes. We've been using a sperm donor," she finished lying easily. She wished she could just tell the truth, that this baby was as much Faith's as it was hers, but the world wouldn't understand. In fact they'd likely lock her up, or worse if they realized she was telling the truth, take her kids away and test them. It's just the way humans tended to react.

"Right, which makes it easier to determine conception. With the information you've provided, it puts you at just over eight weeks."

"Eight? I don't understand, it's been less than seven since we last tried."

"I know it's confusing, but we estimate the day of conception in accordance with your last period."

Buffy laughed, "You're right, that is confusing, and makes no sense. But you're the doctor, so I guess I'll trust you."

"Normally I'd schedule an ultrasound just to be sure of the due date, but in your case I don't believe it's necessary yet. You're healthy enough so I don't perceive any complications as of right now. So I think we'll hold off on that for now."

On one hand, Buffy was sad, she'd love to be able to see her baby, help make it more real for her. And she supposed she could ask for one anyway. The doctor didn't find it necessary though and a part of her wasn't sure she could handle going through it without Faith there with her, not this soon. So maybe it was better if they did wait.

She scheduled her next appointment, hoping she wouldn't have to use it, but just in case the Watcher never found anyone, she wanted to be prepared.

It wasn't until she was back in the safety of the car that she let the tears fall. Today should have been different. Faith should have been there with her, holding her hand while they did the test. She should have had a great big smile on her face as Dr. Brenden told them the news. Faith should have been here period.

By the time she made it back to Dawn's apartment, Nevaeh had fallen asleep on the couch. She didn't take many naps anymore, but when she did she was out and nothing would wake her until she was ready. So that left Buffy time to visit with her sister.

"Dr. Brenden estimated my due date around November twentieth," the blonde informed Dawn.

"Just before Thanksgiving, that's exciting," Dawn told her excitedly. She knew this baby was something that Buffy had wanted for awhile, but she knew this was a bittersweet moment for her sister. "How are you doing with this? Honestly?"

"It's hard. I'm excited about the baby. Of course I am. Faith and I created her together, so of course I'm overjoyed."

"Her?" Dawn interrupted.

"Well I know anything is possible with magic. But as Faith and I lack any male parts. I'm going with her until proven otherwise."

Dawn nodded in understanding. "Makes sense I guess."

"It does hurt that she's not here to share this with me. Thinking about raising not one, but two children alone, it terrifies me."

She didn't have a chance to say anything else, as a cry of 'Mommy' came from a few feet away. Walking over to the couch, Buffy sat beside her daughter and pulled her into her arms. "I'm here, baby. Let's get you home, alright?"

Even though she had woken from her short nap, Nevaeh was still half asleep as they said their goodbyes and headed back to the house.

Once they were back inside, Buffy decided to do something she hadn't really done for awhile, hang out with her daughter. They played pretend, dress up, and every other game her daughter's imagination allowed her to come up with. It was the best day she could remember having in a long time.

**~BF~**

Buffy was in the middle a mountain side field. She didn't have a clue how she'd gotten there. Last thing she remembered was going to sleep in her own bed. Hopefully this was just a dream, but the air felt so real it was hard to believe it was.

Still she worried she was transported somewhere, then how long would Nevaeh be left alone at home before someone realized she was gone.

"Fear not, Slayer. This is little more than a dream," she heard from a distant voice, but she couldn't see anyone. "I can't appear to you, for fear Brother will find out I'm interfering, but I had to bring you somewhere you could hear."

"Who are you?" Buffy asked, not sure what was going on.

"I am one of the Oracles, servants of the Powers that Be."

Buffy gasped. She knew Angel had, had audiences with the Oracles when he was still alive, but she never dared believe she'd ever see the day when she would too. Especially after her little rant to them a few weeks before.

"Yes, I heard your cry. And I agreed with you. I decided then to help you. But I could only do so within your slumber. But your subconscious will not allow me to get the full message through. So you have a part and your daughter has the other. Listen to your dreams, and nightmares and you will see the truth."

With that the voice was gone and Buffy found herself back in her bed. "What was that about?" she asked to the empty room. It didn't make any sense. Why did the higher beings always have to talk in riddles? Why couldn't they just tell you flat out what was going on?

She knew sleep would allude her now, so she spent the remainder of the night trying to remember every piece of her nightmares. Everything seemed like a simple memory of that night up until the point in which she stabs Faith, then it's a bleed of the past and present. Her wife's eyes flashing to show two separate Faiths.

Was that it? Two Faith's? Guess she'd have to wait until Nevaeh woke up and try and piece it together.

**~BF~**

Buffy opened the fridge and pulled out the milk, placing it on the table, she called Nevaeh into the kitchen for breakfast. The little one had woken and gone straight down the stairs to watch cartoons until her mother had gotten their breakfast ready.

She was happy to see her mom had cooked her some Mickey Mouse pancakes. Those were her favorites. Beside that sat her cut up banana and a glass of milk. "Yum," Vaeh smiled.

As soon as she was satisfied with her pancake being fully buttered and slathered in syrup, Buffy began to cut it up in bite size pieces. It amused Buffy that her daughter thought shaped pancakes where so much better, even though by the time she'd take a bite it would look the same as a simple round one.

"Nevaeh, I need to ask you something," she started, as soon as they both had begun eating. "Do you remember your dreams?"

"Uh huh, Mama in them."

"I see, and what does Mama do?"

"We talk," Vaeh just shrugged.

This was going nowhere. "What do you talk about?"

"Mostly that she loves me and misses me," Nevaeh admitted easily. Shoveling a load of banana into her mouth before taking a drink. "But I'm sposed to tell you to quit dreaming of that roof. She forgives you."

Buffy whipped her head around so fast to stare at the little girl. She'd never said anything about her nightmares to anyone, so there's no way Nevaeh could have heard it from anyone. "She does?"

"Yeah, says she can't visit you if you keep feeling guilty. What does she mean? What's guilty?" Vaeh asked, never having heard that word before.

"It means that you feel bad about something you did. Now does Mama say anything else?"

Trying to remember the whole message that her Mama had been helping her remember. "She's waiting for you."

"Waiting for me?" This wasn't making any sense. Faith wanted to visit her in her dreams and she was waiting so she could visit? Was Faith really able to talk to them from wherever she was? They'd shared dreams before, but Faith had been alive.

"Yeah, she says he hurts her. But that she's okay, because she knows you'll find her and save her. Oh, and she loves you."

Okay first the visit with the Oracle, now there was a whole conversation between Faith and Nevaeh within the little girl's dreams. Finally putting all the little pieces together, only one thought comes to mind. Faith was alive.


	17. Alive or Dead?- April 05

Buffy tossed and turned, she couldn't sleep, but she wanted to more than anything. After what she believed she'd learned earlier that day, all she wanted was to slip into dreamland and finally see Faith again. But sleep seemed to elude her. She was afraid she'd just have the nightmare again, and if Vaeh was right, that was what was stopping her from seeing Faith.

Maybe that was what the Oracle meant when she said that she couldn't get the message through. The nightmares were stopping it from coming through.

Taking a deep breath, she wiggled around, getting as comfortable as possible and let her body relax. Maybe if she just focused on good memories, happier times, tonight would be the night she'd finally get to see Faith.

She remembered their day on the beach in Hawaii, how free and happy they both were as they played with their daughter. They spent the day acting like teenagers again. She smiled to the darkness as she remembered how Faith chased her down the shore, both of them laughing as she managed to stay just out of reach.

The smile stayed on her face long after she'd finally managed to slip into unconsciousness.

Next thing she knew, she was standing back in her old house in Sunnydale. Was this just a dream or was Faith around here somewhere? No one seemed to be in the downstairs area, so she headed upstairs, figuring she'd check up there first. The upstairs looked as if it did the last time they'd seen it, sleeping bags and makeshift beds in every inch. In Nevaeh's room, her old toddler bed was leaned up against the wall, just as they'd sat it to make more room for the potential Slayers when they'd moved the little girl into her room. But again the place was deserted.

Heading back down the stairs, she checked every room, but it all turned up empty. The basement turned up the same results. So either she was just having one dream that made no sense, or Faith wasn't in the house. Since she was closer to the backdoor, she decided to check there first, then head out the front if she still didn't find her.

She barely had to open the door to see her wife sitting on the stairs, staring out into the yard as if she was watching something, or someone. Not seeing what held Faith's attention, she moved to take a seat beside her and wrap an arm around the younger girl's shoulder.

Everything in her wanted to just relish seeing her wife again. She wanted to hug her tight, kiss her deeply, and cry in her arms. But she needed answers more than anything, and just maybe she'd get them and get her back in the real world. So instead, she just sat and waited for Faith to speak.

"It was right here that I realized how I felt about you," Faith finally said, breaking the long silence. "I sat here watching Nevaeh play in the water after you told me how you felt, and I talked to her about it. And just knew I needed you."

"You talked to Nevaeh about us?" Buffy asked. Faith had never told her that. Of course their daughter wouldn't actually know what she was talking about, but in a way it made sense for Faith to work out her feelings, to the only person at that time that she trusted her heart too.

"Yeah I did," Faith smirked. "She was cool with it," she added with humor, making Buffy laugh.

"I miss you," Buffy said, suddenly turning the conversation. Faith making her laugh made the situation come crashing back down.

"Miss you too, B. More than you know."

"Where are you?"

Faith sighed, "I don't really know. Its dark most of the time, only light I really get is when he comes. Think I'm in a cave somewhere, air feels different though, thicker, heavier."

There was only one question Buffy really needed the answer to, but did she dare ask it. "Are you still alive?"

The brunette shrugged. "Maybe, I don't know. Like I said, mostly it's just dark all the time. Maybe I'm in hell," Faith finished dejectedly, like she deserved it.

"I'll figure it out, Faith. I promise," Buffy started, but the words went with the wind as the dream started to fade. She tried desperately to get it back, but nothing she tried worked. She hoped that wasn't the last time she'd see her wife, because if it was, it saddened her to realize she never even got the chance to tell her about the baby.

**~BF~**

"Faith's alive!" Buffy exclaimed as she entered the research library the next day. Whether Faith believed it or not, she did. All the signs she had been given didn't make sense to her unless it was true.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked carefully.

"I mean, she's alive. She's trapped somewhere, but she's alive."

"Honey," Willow started, moving to her friend in hopes of comforting her when reality would soon hit again. "She died, sweetie," she trod carefully, fearing that Buffy was in the denial stage of grief.

"I don't think she is. I think Tarzar did something, but she's still alive."

"Why do you believe this?" Giles spoke up. He's feeling the same as Willow, that possibly Buffy is projecting something that isn't real. But to be sure, he has to ask.

"I had a dream last night. She's trapped somewhere where it's dark."

"We buried her body," Willow pointed out. "She was definitely not alive."

"I can't explain that, but I feel like we have to save her."

Giles didn't know what to believe. He knew the two had shared dreams before. But he also had to agree with Willow, they had buried her body. "I have to agree with Willow, we did bury her. That's a lot to base off just a dream."

"What about the Oracle?"

"What Oracle?" the Watcher asked curiously.

"The one that appeared, well not really appeared so much as spoke to me. Telling me to listen to my dreams and Nevaeh's."

"Hmm." Giles was torn. If an Oracle really did present itself to Buffy then it's possible what she said was true, but it was a lot to believe on simple dreams. He just didn't know what to believe.

"Hmm. That's all I get, Giles? I tell you MY WIFE is alive and all I get is hmm?" Buffy said angrily. She was the damn Slayer here, why didn't they believe her? It made no sense.

"I'm sorry, Buffy. It's not that I don't trust you. It just seems there's a lot of contradictory evidence to stack against your dreams."

"You don't believe me in other words."

"I'm not saying that," Giles said vehemently.

Willow moved to wrap her arms around her friends. "Buffy, we're not saying that. It's just, you and Nevaeh both have been through an awful tragedy. Your emotions are running on high. We just need more evidence. But we'll see what we can find. Just give it some time."

Buffy pushed the witch away from her. "Give it some time? Seriously, she could be dying for real this time. You don't believe me, fine. I'll find her myself!" she screamed, turning and walking out of the library, leaving a very stunned Willow and Giles.

"What do you really think, Giles?" Willow asked, turning to the man they all looked to as a father figure.

"I'm not sure. If an Oracle really appeared to her, that's compelling evidence. I'm not sure what to believe."

"Yeah, me either." The redhead admitted. She wanted nothing more than to believe Buffy. She hated to see them all hurting so much, and if they could really get Faith back, it would be amazing. But Faith was stabbed, just like the prophecy said. It didn't seem like there was really a reason not to believe that Faith was gone.

**~BF~**

Long after Nevaeh had gone to bed, Buffy sat in her living room, pouring over books she'd taken from the library. After storming out early that day, she let herself calm down some and then returned to find the room empty. Taking every book she could find that might help, she'd carried them all home and began to go over them.

She'd never been big on research though and was having a hard time. "Find anything?" Buffy asked to the other occupant in the room who was still awake.

"Unfortunately, no," Dawn told her sadly. The other Summers woman was much easier to convince. Buffy had led them through one apocalypse after another, so she trusted her sister when she believed that Faith was out there somewhere.

Kennedy had come with her girlfriend, but had long since fallen asleep on the couch. She wasn't sure what to believe either. But she hadn't been around as long as the Scooby gang, and the Slayer in her was telling her that if there was a baddy still to fight, she needed to be in on it.

"What are we looking for exactly?"

"I'm not sure," Buffy admitted. "Anything that suggests she's still alive. That's the biggest thing. If we can just convince the others of that fact, they'll know what to look for next."

"You said the Oracle said to listen to your dreams right?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah."

"Well maybe we should focus on that then," the younger Summers told her.

"What do you mean?"

Dawn grabbed the notebook in front of her and flipped to a fresh page. Picking up the pen, she sat back getting comfortable, telling Buffy to do the same. "Now close your eyes."

"What? Are you going to shrink me now?" Buffy chuckled, thinking that was exactly how this would look to anyone entering the room.

"Basically. Nevaeh's dream is what made you believe she was still alive, that's what you told me. Faith told her things that she couldn't possibly know."

"Yes, that's true."

"So I want you to take me through yours now. There might be something in there you're missing. Tell me every detail you can remember. Leave nothing out, it might be important."

"Okay," Buffy agreed. Reclining back in the armchair she occupied, she wiggled around until she was comfortable and then closed her eyes. She wasn't sure this was going to work, but she was willing to try anything if it meant finding her wife.

She started off telling her every detail she could remember about their fight on the roof. That part was always identical to what had actually happened between them. She didn't think any of that was what was relevant to what was going on now.

She got to the part about the knife slipping in and paused. She'd never told anyone how she'd felt that day when it had actually happened. Telling her sister now terrified her. "The knife goes in, and at first I'm staring into the eyes of the teenage Faith, trying to tell her how sorry I am with my eyes. I didn't believe it would come to this, but somehow it did, and I'll forever be sorry."

And she would. She hated that she did that to Faith, but if things wouldn't have happened how they did, they wouldn't have had Nevaeh, and that would have been an even bigger tragedy.

"This is when the dream bleeds into the present. There's like a flash, and then I'm looking into the eyes of adult Faith, my Faith. I can tell she knows I'm sorry, but I can see the pain in her eyes. She flashes back and forth a couple of times, like the teenage and adult Faith are at war with who's present. Eventually past Faith wins and the dream continues on with the actual events."

The whole time Buffy is recounting her dream, Dawn writes out facts she thinks are key down on the paper. Most of it does seem pretty irrelevant. But the war of past and present Faith, there is definitely something to that.

Buffy herself realizes that there was something to that as well.

"What about the fight with Tarzar, what do you remember?" Dawn asks.

Buffy sits there stunned. She doesn't want to remember that night. She hasn't let herself spend a moment thinking about it. Too hurt to relive it. She doesn't want to relive it now, but it might be the only way to find the answer she's seeking.

So for the first time in a month, she lets her mind take her back to that night. Every moment was crystal clear, like it had only happened the day before. She sees the sword, and watches as Tarzar aims it at Faith's stomach. Maybe it wasn't important, but as she watches his sword go in, she realizes it's almost in the exact same spot where Faith should have the scar she created.

The blue mist surrounds Faith, and she watches again as the life seems to go out of her lover. But this time she notices. A small flash, similar to the one in her dreams. It is so subtle that a normal human being wouldn't be able to see it. She was too upset that night to realize it was there, but reliving it now, she could see it clearly. Something more definitely happened that night.

"Two Faiths," Buffy whispers. There were two Faiths in her dream, flashes moving from one to the other.

Dawn could see her sister's mind working, but the blonde had gone completely silent so she wasn't sure what she was thinking. It seemed though as if Buffy had found the answer, she just couldn't grasp it.

"Two Faiths," Buffy muttered again. "What are you trying to tell me, Faith?" she asked aloud. Her eyes roamed the room. Nothing she saw seemed to process until she landed on a picture of Faith and Nevaeh on the beach. Something about that picture was nagging at her, something important.

Walking over to the fireplace, she plucked it off the mantel, studying it closely. And as if lightening had struck, she knew she had the answer she'd been seeking.

"Faith is alive, and I can prove it!"


	18. Hope on the Horizon- April 05

This time Buffy called all of the Scoobies to what had become their meeting place, the research library. She waited out of sight until she was sure everyone was in there before she herself entered.

Seven sets of eyes all turned to watch her as she made her way through the doorway, knowing she was the one that had called them all here.

"So what's up, Buff?" Xander asked.

"Faith is alive, that's what," Buffy responded with an edge to her voice, daring any of them to question her.

"Buffy," Willow started compassionately.

"No!" Buffy interrupted. "You will listen to me this time."

Several eyes turned to look at Willow. "What does she mean 'this time,' Willow?" Tara asked her wife.

Willow and Giles both had the decency to look a little guilty. They had decided to keep Buffy's suspicions to themselves until it either blew over, or they had proof one way or the other.

"I tried to tell these two," Buffy said gesturing to Giles and Willow, "yesterday, that I believed Faith was alive and neither of them would believe me. She kept trying to remind me that we buried Faith. But I'm here to tell you today that we didn't in fact bury Faith."

Willow opened her mouth to speak, but the Slayer held her ground. "No, let me finish. I mean we didn't bury our Faith. I don't know if it was a doppelganger or a clone or something, but I know it wasn't my wife."

"How did you come to this conclusion?" Giles asked, truthfully curious now.

"Her tattoo, there was no tattoo on the body we buried. I was so distraught over her death to realize it at the time, but last night I was looking at a picture of us on the beach, she was in a bikini and it stood out. It was then that I realized it was missing."

"Her scar," Willow whispered, almost to herself.

"What was that, Willow?" Tara asked, even sitting next to her, she only knew Willow had said something but she didn't know what.

Willow looked up at her best friend, apology in her eyes as she now realized the truth. "The scar on her stomach, it was missing too." She remembered as if it was yesterday, standing over the brunette's body, trying to magically heal the wound with no success.

"But didn't Tarzar stab her in just about the same place?" Anya asked curiously.

"He did," Willow admitted truthfully. "But his sword had a much skinnier blade, so even if he'd have gotten it in the exact same spot, we would have been able to see the edges of her scar."

The entire room went silent, letting that information absorb into their brains.

"So what do we do now?" Dawn finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Same as we always do, crack the books," Xander replied, lightly slapping Dawn's shoulder from his place next to her on the long couch. The groan in his voice wasn't lost on anyone.

"Actually, Xander, I have another job for you," Willow shot out, already up and moving to her desk, and opening her laptop.

"No books for me. Yay!" he said excitedly.

"Don't get too happy yet. I need you to go to Faith's grave and dig it up," Willow told him a little too excitedly, the science nerd about to come out in her.

"Why on earth for?" Giles asked.

"Because I'd like to test her DNA, and compare it to Nevaeh's as well. It could tell us a lot," Willow replied, not even bothering to look up from the computer. To busy cross checking what they already had in the classrooms on site with what she would need, and ordering it to be delivered immediately.

"Why would you need to compare it to Nevaeh's?" Buffy asked, clearly confused as well.

Sometimes she wished she wasn't the only one good with science in the room. For once, she'd love it if people knew exactly where she was going with her train of thought. "If Faith had an identical twin out there we didn't know about, then a DNA test would come back as she was Nevaeh's mother, Faith and a twin would have the same DNA. So then we'd know Tarzar somehow found her here."

"And if it doesn't come back that way?" Buffy asked.

"Then it's likely she's a doppelganger. It will help us in determining how much work Tarzar put into his planning."

"But wouldn't a doppelganger come back the same as a twin, she's still Faith after all?"

With Buffy's question, Giles now understood where Willow was going with this. "Actually, no, she wouldn't. Even other dimensions that closely resemble our own have a different energy to them. So the energy in our bodies would have a slight variance to them that would affect our DNA."

The witch looked at him, impressed that he knew what she was thinking. "Exactly."

"You said they have different energy, would that affect the air?" Buffy asked, something Faith said to her coming back.

"Yes it would," Giles admitted.

"Faith told me where she was the air was thicker, heavier."

"What else did she say?" Giles asked, going into full on question and research mode. Grabbing a pen and paper he waited for her to answer.

"It was always dark, except when he came. She thought she was in a cave, but she wasn't sure. That's really all. We didn't really get a lot of time together. She wasn't herself though. She was more passive, scared," Buffy admitted sadly. As much as she enjoyed seeing her wife, she was sad to see how the woman had already changed from her long captivity. She was afraid of what Faith would be like when, not if, they got her back.

"I think it's pretty safe to assume Tarzar took her back to his dimension," Giles told them all.

"But why go to all this trouble?" Xander asked curiously.

"That's what we need to figure out," was all Giles had to say. Xander was sent out shortly after that to begin the digging process, while the rest of the group began researching and theorizing what really happened.

**~BF~**

Two days later they were only beginning to finally make headway. All the equipment was finally in that Willow needed, and she began testing the samples she'd taken from the body they had buried. The results came in, and Buffy was slightly relieved to know it wasn't a twin. She'd be sad if they learned Faith had a sister but then was taken from them. She was in fact from another dimension.

"I believe, that this Faith likely wasn't a Slayer. Made her an easy target for him to abduct from her dimension and replace with ours," Giles theorized.

"But still, the question is why," Kennedy spoke, looking menacing at the stack of useless books in front of them, almost regretting that she'd been allowed into the inner circle. Too much research made her brain hurt.

"Probably so that we'd believe she was dead and wouldn't come looking for her. This supports the idea that she's alive, and whatever he's using her for, he needs her alive."

"But what about the prophecy?" Tara asked this time.

"I believe I can answer that," Anya announced, entering the room at the perfect moment. "I've gone through every contact I could find from my demon days, and finally found someone who knew more about Tarzar, as he is originally from Mictlan himself."

Anya continued on to fill them in on all she had discovered. Tarzar is a traveler by definition. He can't just hop through dimensions, but time as well. He wrote the prophecy and then planted it in the past, to help further the illusion that Faith was dead. "The reason we didn't find the prophecy earlier, is before that, it didn't exist."

"I'm so confused. If he planted it in the past, then why couldn't we find it earlier?" Buffy muttered rolling her head back.

"Time traveling is confusing, but I believe I understand. He wanted us to believe it, so he placed it in the past so that it would age and look authentic. But essentially before the time in which he traveled back, it didn't exist, so we couldn't find it, until he had done so."

"I'm with Buffy, this hurts my head," Dawn announced.

"Why do we need to know all this anyway?" Kennedy asked. "We're positive he took her back to Mictlan, so why aren't we going there and rescuing her?"

"By understanding why and how, it can help us in planning any mission," Giles told her in his Watcher tone. "Going there guns blazing could just get us all killed."

"As much as I understand that, I'm with Kennedy. I just want my wife back."

"I know, Buffy," Giles said with regret, placing a fatherly hand on her shoulder. "We'll get her back, I promise." Turning to look at Anya. "Did your contact have any information on what we might be going into."

"Yes, actually. We were right in believing he only looked human here. But that's why he needed Faith. It's the blood of a Slayer that will keep him looking human back in Mictlan. It is believed over there that humans are the most God like creatures."

"And if he looks like a God, he'll be treated as such," Willow said in understanding. It was still about his campaign to rule. That part hadn't changed.

"Yes, exactly," Anya agreed. "There's a catch. While in our dimension he's able to retain his powers, which are many, he's accumulated more than can be counted through his travels. But in his dimension, so long as he retains the human façade, while still powerful, he's also prone to human vulnerabilities."

"That is what I like to hear!" Xander all but shouted. This information meant that they'd have a better chance going up against him on his own turf.

"Let's gear up the army and get in there!" Kennedy said, sharing Xander's excitement.

"Now I'm sure I can open a portal, but it'll take a while to get everything together and perform the spell. And we still don't know what we'd be getting ourselves into. Just because he's vulnerable, doesn't mean he doesn't have followers that will protect him," Willow pointed out.

"Normally, I'd suggest sending in a couple girls to scout the area. But I don't think such a plan would be a good idea when we're sending them into another dimension," Giles paused, trying to figure out what to do. "I think in this case, I'm going to have to agree with Kennedy. We'll gather all the girls available to go and just hope it's enough." This earned a loud, "YES!" from the younger Slayer. "How long do you think it'll be before a portal can be opened?"

Thinking about it for a minute. "Shouldn't be more than a day. I have most of the ingredients I need for the spell."

"Alright then, we'll plan to send the girls out tomorrow night after dinner." With that, the party broke up, and everyone went their separate ways to prepare for the following day.

Buffy made her way over to Carrie and Michelle's dorm. The two girls had become Nevaeh's favorite baby-sitters when one of the gang couldn't do it. The two Summers women then made their way home.

Buffy spent the remainder of the night with her daughter, cherishing the time they had together. She didn't know what the next couple of days would bring for their family, but she felt hopeful that everything would be alright.

**~BF~**

The next night, everyone congregated together by the back wall that enclosed the compound. Willow sat in the middle of a circle, working the ingredients together before she could start the spell. She wouldn't be able to hold it open for long, so if they were gone to long, she'd prepared Xander to open one back on the other side.

"Alright girls, plan is simple. Get in, find Faith, and get out as quickly as possible. But we also don't want to leave Tarzar alive. We don't want him trying this again. Understood?" Giles asked, receiving nods in return. "Kennedy, you're in charge. You know what to do."

"Um, experienced Slayer here," Buffy said disbelieving what she'd just heard from Giles' mouth.

"You're not going," the older man told her gently.

"Like hell I'm not! That's my wife they are going after."

Giles tried again to convince Buffy she needed to stay behind, but when it was proving useless, he signaled to the others. Xander moved behind Buffy and caught her as Willow used a magical whammy to knock the blonde out. They knew this would happen, and discussed it the night before. They were going to have one angry Slayer on their hands when she woke up, but they had their reasons.

Willow believed that moving through the dimensions could harm the baby Buffy was carrying. They had decided not to tell her though, because they knew it would be a no win situation for their friend. She'd always feel guilty if she chose the baby and the other Slayers didn't rescue Faith, or if she went and they got Faith back, but the baby didn't make it. So instead, they'd simply take the blame, and hope everything turned out well.

A few minutes later, Willow began to chant. Slowly the space in front of them began to turn greenish, and the more she chanted the more solid the green became, until it took on the shape of a doorway.

"Good luck," Giles told the girls, as one by one they filed through the portal, Xander taking the rear. The goofy guy turned and gave them all a wave and a minute later he was completely out of sight.


	19. The Return- April 05

Buffy opened her eyes, or she thought she did, but still everything was completely dark. Reaching a hand up to touch her face, her eyes were in fact open. What happened? Where was she? Or was she now blind? If so she wasn't sure how she got that way. Last thing she remembered was arguing with Giles on whether she was going to be a part of the rescue mission for Faith.

Did she go through the portal and just not remember? If so, then where did she end up, and where was everyone else? Not knowing where she was, she wasn't exactly sure what the right thing to do was. She wanted to call out and see if anyone else was there, but if it was the wrong someone, she wasn't really in a position to fight.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on her other senses. She remembered her days in the high school gym, when Giles would blindfold her. If she concentrated hard enough, maybe she could use her Slayer senses to get an idea of where she was.

Time seemed to move slowly, as a very faint picture came into her mind. It was still dark, but there was just enough light in her mind to see the walls around her. The smell of the earth reached her nostrils and she was sure now that she was in a cave.

With her eyes still closed, she began moving around in a circle, trying to see the whole room inside her mind's eye. She had almost gone all the way around when she thought she saw something different from the rest. Concentrating on the much darker blob against the already dark picture, she moved a step toward the spot.

Slowly the picture came into view, and she realized she was looking at a figure of something crouching. She was sure from the shape it was human, but she couldn't be positive. "Hello?" she asked almost in a whisper, afraid to startle whatever it was and have them attack.

"Anybody there?" she asked again softly when she got no response the first time. Still no response, so keeping her eyes closed so that she could see where she was walking, she made a few more steps to the figure. "Hey, you okay?" This time she was a little louder, causing the body to jerk finally.

It was then she finally recognized the familiar set of hair. "Faith, is that you?"

If it was possible, the figure retreated further into itself. "No, no one here," was uttered despondently, as if she wasn't even a person.

Buffy knew then, that whatever had happened to Faith, it was horrible. She reached out to comfort her wife, but all her hand met was more air. Which begged the question again of just what was happening. Could Faith only be a figment of her imagination? Reaching out, she tried to touch the wall of dirt beside her and once again was just met with air as her hand went through it.

"Nope, I'm not really here. Which means the gang has some explaining to do." Realizing she was the one out of place, she had a feeling she was sleeping, which meant her friends did something to stop her from going on this mission.

Taking a deep breath, she turned back and kneeled next to Faith. Not being able to touch her was killing her. But she hoped that soon, that wouldn't be the case. "Its okay, Faith. Kennedy will be here soon with an army of Slayers. You'll be home soon."

**~BF~**

This time when Buffy opened her eyes, the light was almost blinding. It took a minute to get her bearings, but when she did, she realized she was in her own home, laying on one of the couches in her living room.

Remembering the situation she was in, she sprung up from her position, intent on going to find someone to explain just what the hell was going on. "Oh, Buffy, you're awake."

"Tara, what is going on?"

"It wasn't my idea. I swear I didn't know they were going to do that?" The blonde witch felt bad for the girl she's come to think of as one of her best friends, not just her wife's best friends. She wasn't entirely sure she agreed with their method, feeling Buffy should have gotten a choice, but she understood where they were coming from too.

"What wasn't? What happened?" She was trying to stay really calm, and give her friends the benefit of the doubt. But she wasn't sure they deserved it right now.

"Willow put you in a magically induced coma."

"Why?"

"You'll have to ask her that."

"Where is she?"

"School building, in the basement." Tara didn't even bother to try and stop the very angry Slayer as she stormed out of the house. Instead sending a message out to Willow telepathically, hopefully her wife got the message that a very pissed of blonde was headed her way.

**~BF~**

"Buffy, hold up," Willow said, standing at the top of the stairs. As soon as she'd gotten Tara's message, she ran up the stairs to stop Buffy from going any further.

"You got some serious explaining to do!" Buffy shouted.

"I know I do. Why don't we head to my office."

"No. I want an explanation right now."

Willow sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with the stubborn Slayer. "Ok, but let's at least go sit over there," she tried again, pointing to the bench that sat in the hallway about ten feet away.

"Fine," Buffy conceded. "Now talk," she demanded once they were both seated comfortably.

"Giles couldn't convince you not to go," Willow started. She looked her friend in the eye and placed a hand on her friend's belly. "I was afraid hopping dimensions would harm, or possibly kill the baby."

Buffy sighed, letting the anger wash away. She knew Willow at least had good intentions. "Why didn't you just tell me that?"

"Because I know you, Buffy."

"What does that mean?" the blonde asked, clearly not understanding what her reasons were for not telling her.

"It means, I know that if you'd chosen to go anyway and something happened to the baby, you'd feel guilty. And if you had chosen to stay and something happened to Faith, you'd feel guilty. It was a no win situation for you. I just wanted to spare you that pain."

Buffy leaned back so her head rested against the wall. She knew Willow was right. She would have felt horrible if something had happened to either of them and she could have done something to prevent it. Still, she wasn't sure she agreed with not being given a choice.

"I probably would have chosen to still go," Buffy whispered honestly. "It would have been horrible to have something happen to the baby, but if it meant getting Faith back…" Buffy trailed off. "It sounds so horrible. But I'm miserable without her. And we could always try and make another baby. There's only one of her."

"I get it," Willow told her, wrapping her arm around her friend's shoulder. "If it was Tara, I'd do the same."

Buffy played with the wedding ring on her finger as the silence engulfed them for several minutes, just letting the truth of their admissions sink in.

"It all worked out though," Willow finally said, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"They got her."

It took a minute for Buffy to realize what the redhead was saying. "You got her? You mean they are back? Why didn't you say that first thing," she demanded. "Where is she?"

"You need to take a deep breath and listen. Yes they got her back, but right now she's unconscious. They had to tranq her."

"What? Why?"

She really didn't want to have to tell Buffy what she needed to know. But someone had to, and somehow she'd been given that task. "Tarzar's home wasn't as hard to get into as we'd worried about. He wasn't worried about us coming for her. He'd really thought he'd fooled us. But when Kennedy found her, she was tucked into a corner of a dark cave. When she tried to touch her, she went wild and lashed out."

"I think I knew that. Before I woke up, I dreamed of her in that cave. She flinched when I came near her."

"For us, she's only been gone a month, but we don't know how long it's been for her. It could have been years for all we know."

Buffy sighed, remembering when Angel had come back from whatever hell dimension he was in. "I need to see her."

"I know you do." Willow gave her a half hug and a pat on the back as they both stood up and headed for the stairs. "She's got some marks on her, some old, some new. It does look like he tortured her some. But mostly, I think he just took her blood."

Buffy paused when they reached the room Faith was said to lie in. Now she knew why she was here and not the small infirmary. They didn't know what to expect when Faith woke up, so they needed her in a room they could keep her contained, until they could get her back to her old self.

Entering the room slowly, she made her way over to the cot they'd set up for her. "Oh, baby," she cried, reaching out to run a hand along Faith's cheek. She looked so frail and so pale.

"He probably fed her just enough to keep her alive," Giles said from his place across the room. He'd been keeping an eye on Faith for the last little while. He was racked with guilt, feeling as if he should have seen through Tarzar's act long ago so that Faith wouldn't have gone through what she did.

"Oh, baby. I'm so sorry I didn't figure it out sooner," Buffy cried, no longer caring who was in the room. The tears fell from her eyes as she ran her hands through Faith's hair. Slowly, she maneuvered herself onto the bed, wrapping her arms around Faith as best as she could.

"Buffy, maybe you shouldn't do that. We don't know what she'll be like when she wakes up," Willow tried to warn.

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. I just need to be with her."

Everyone seemed to understand that. They all made their way out into the hallway to give Buffy some alone time.

"I'm so sorry," Buffy apologized again, placing a kiss on her wife's cheek. "I promise I'll make it up to you though. I love you so much and I've been so miserable without you. I need you, baby. Our family needs you. You need to come back to us, okay."

**~BF~**

As much as she didn't want to, Buffy left Faith's bedside. She wanted to stay there until she woke up, but knew that she couldn't. Nevaeh had already lived the last month without one of her moms. She didn't need for both of them to disappear on her. And she wasn't going to let Vaeh anywhere near Faith until they were sure she was okay.

Giles assured her they would have someone with Faith at all times though, and that someone would call her if the other woman woke up. So she headed home and released Dawn from baby-sitting duty.

"Thanks, Dawnie, for sitting with her," Buffy told her sister.

"Anything for my favorite niece."

Buffy laughed. "Better be careful, she won't be the only one for long."

"So?" the younger Summers girl responded, like that mattered. How times had changed. She remembered when Nevaeh had first appeared in their lives and Dawn wanted nothing to do with her. Hating that she was no longer the baby in the family. But Vaeh had Faith's charm and that changed quickly and she had her aunt wrapped around her finger. "She'll still be my favorite, first born and all," Dawn teased.

Buffy just smiled and waved as her sister walked through the front door. Placing a gentle hand on her belly, she made her way upstairs to her daughter's room. She knew the new baby would be just as spoiled, but she understood where Dawn was coming from. There was just something about Veah's appearance in their lives that would always have an impact on them.

"Hey, baby, you all ready for bed?" she asked as she entered Vaeh's room to see the little girl all tucked into bed.

"Mama back?" she asked instead.

Buffy froze, wondering how Nevaeh knew that. She hadn't planned on telling her just yet. But somehow she knew anyway. She wasn't about to start lying to her daughter though.

Moving to the bed, she lifted up the covers and slid in beside her. Wrapping her arms around Vaeh, she situated them so she could talk to her easily and comfort her at the same time.

"Yes, Mama's back. You were right all along," Buffy smiled, letting her daughter know how smart she was to know that.

"Me want to see her."

Buffy sighed. "You will, I promise. But not right now. She's not feeling so good right now. When she's all better you can see her."

"My magic hugs make her better," Vaeh insisted.

"I'm sure she'd love one of your magic hugs. But right now, the way she's feeling, she can't have hugs. But soon I promise." She was terribly sad for her daughter. She couldn't possibly understand all this. How could she tell a four-year old that right now any touch might just send her Mama into a wild rage?

And Nevaeh didn't get it. Mama always told her that her hugs were like magic. No matter how bad she was feeling, a hug from her always made her feel better. Mama said it was her superpower. She wasn't sure what that meant, but she knew it made her special. She fell asleep that night, determined to convince Mommy to let her give Mama a hug.

Buffy watched her daughter sleep for over an hour before she finally made her way to bed. It was easier to sleep tonight, knowing that even though Faith wasn't there with her, she wasn't that far way. And soon, she'd be back in their bed.


	20. Lost- May 05

Opening the pantry door, Buffy scanned the rows of boxes until she found the one she was looking for. Pulling out the box of Lucky Charms, she moved over to the table. "Nevaeh, breakfast," she yelled through the house, as she poured the sugary cereal into one of her daughter's Disney character bowls.

Normally Buffy tried to get Vaeh to eat healthier foods, but today was one of those days she just didn't care. Faith was always the one to push for the more sugary foods when they'd go grocery shopping together. She loved to eat them dry, straight out of the box while she watched TV either early in the morning, or late at night after patrol. Buffy sighed, wondering if things would ever be the same.

Little footsteps approaching told her that her daughter had finally made her way downstairs. She tried not to react when Vaeh walked in with a lime green shirt and pastel pink pants. The girl was at the age where she wanted to be independent and that started with dressing herself. Faith and Buffy had both agreed long ago to just let her be herself. Still the fashionista in her was screaming.

"Why didn't you put on the shirt that goes with those pants?" she asked, trying to make it sound like she didn't care. She wouldn't out right tell her what to wear, but maybe she could help her to understand about matching and get her to make that choice herself.

"Cause I like this shirt better," Vaeh shrugged, climbing up into her chair at the table.

"Well then why didn't you put on a pair of jeans?" Surely that would be better than the pink. Those two colors just didn't go together.

"These ones are more comfy," the brunette told her mother, like it should have been obvious.

Well Buffy certainly couldn't argue with Nevaeh's logic. So she dropped the subject and took a seat across from her, pouring milk into both their bowls. She could barely pull the jug back before Vaeh dug in with gusto. Sometimes the girl ate like she was never going to see food again.

But then that's the way that Faith always ate too. She knew why her wife ate like that though. Growing up, it was a truth of life that she didn't actually know when she'd get her next meal. Now it was just habit to eat that way, a habit that Nevaeh had picked up obviously.

"Me see Mama today?" Vaeh asked between bites of food.

Buffy sighed, not wanting to give her the answer she knew she needed to give her. It had been almost a week, six days to be exact since they got Faith back physically, but they'd made no headway into getting her back mentally.

"No, you're going to hang out in Aunt Kennedy's class today, remember?" she tried, hoping the Faith subject would be dropped for now. She didn't know when Kennedy had been added to the list of Nevaeh's aunts, but it seemed like her and Dawn were very serious about each other, so it seemed to just fall into place without anyone noticing.

"I don't want to go to class!"

"You love going to class, and learning with all the big girls."

It was true, she loved learning all the martial arts moves that all the other girls were learning. But she really loved it when they all went outside and ran around the compound. She always won. None of the others were as fast as she was. Her moms had tried telling her she was special, but she didn't really understand why yet.

"But I want to see Mama," she tried again, bringing out the pout.

"Sorry, kid, I invented that pout. Doesn't work on me," Buffy joked, but got no reaction. Reaching across the table she ran a hand down her daughter's cheek. "I know you want to see her. And I promise as soon as possible, I'll take you to her. Just not yet."

For the rest of breakfast, Buffy was given the silent treatment from her daughter. But how did you explain to a four-year old what her Mama, her favorite person in the world, was going through. It took a toll on Buffy just to get through each day dealing with Faith herself.

When she told Nevaeh it was time to get going, all she got was a nod in return. She would just have to deal with her baby being mad at her for the time being. Hopefully soon, Faith would be back to her old self, and all of the crap that was happening now would be nothing but a memory.

Buffy opened the large metal door to the gym where Kennedy was getting ready for her martial arts for beginners class. It was the first class new girls would take. They allowed Nevaeh to sit in and even participate in this class, but it was the only one for now. She was far too young to be trained any further. They just wanted to start her on her way to defend herself if she needed to.

Luckily she was also too young to realize that while each class moved on, she stayed behind. Otherwise they were sure they'd have one very pissed off mini Slayer on their hands. As it was, she had mastered many of the skills taught in the beginners class, and thought herself pretty awesome that she could do things that some of the girls couldn't do just yet.

"How's she doing today?" Buffy asked Willow when she'd finally made it down to stand outside of the room Faith was currently staying in.

"She actually ate her breakfast as soon as I left the room."

Buffy was happy to hear that. It was actually an improvement, finally. One of two things would usually happen when they delivered her meals. Either she'd lash out and throw the food, or she'd let it just sit there in the room until she couldn't take the hunger anymore and then inhale it with gusto, but only if no one was in the room.

It killed Buffy to have to watch Faith go through this. She wanted so much to go in there and hold her in her arms and comfort her, but that was likely to throw her into a rage. But at least those moments were more like her Faith. The moments where she cowered in the corner, trying to make herself invisible and flinch at any noise or movement, those were the ones that completely broke Buffy's heart.

"Giles still doesn't know how long she was there, but he's certain that time definitely moved faster there."

"I know. The Faith we all know, would not have broken easily. Certainly not in a month," Buffy responded, her eyes never leaving her glimpse of Faith through the window. Her wife was just sitting on her bed, rocking back and forth.

Turning to Willow finally, "but I don't get it, the dream I shared with her wasn't that long before her rescue, and she was herself. Well almost," she added as an afterthought, because she did remember thinking that Faith was a little different.

"That could be for two reasons, one because she hadn't broken yet. Or two, which is more likely, is that in those dreams, her subconscious allowed her to be herself, knowing she was in a safe place. No matter what he did to her, deep down, she still knows who she is."

Buffy just nodded, understanding what her friend was telling her. "I just wish we could figure out how to help her," she sighed, turning back to watch her wife through the window. She reached out, placing a hand on the glass, wishing it was soft, warm skin she was feeling, not cold, hard glass.

**~BF~**

Kennedy stood at the front of the gym, as ten teenagers, and one four-year old stared at her waiting for their next instruction. She loved this job. Sure they'd let her take the girls through their training back in Sunnydale, but that was nothing compared to now, being a Slayer and having her own class.

When she first met Buffy, she was sure the Chosen One didn't care much for her. But she couldn't blame her, she'd been a spoiled rich brat. But that was in the past. Becoming a Slayer had started her on the road to being more humble.

Watching so many of the girls die down in the Hellmouth had showed her the true price of life. She didn't take life for granted anymore, or love. The thought made her smile. She never would have believed she'd fall in love with someone like Dawn, or that Dawn would love her. But somehow they made sense.

"Alright, if you're attacked from behind, try and get into this position," she started, crouching into the position she was talking about. "Then you can swing like this and it should throw your opponent off you," she finished, guiding them through the action. She desperately tried not to laugh at the look of concentration on Nevaeh's face as she tried to follow though. Her body still too little to actually manage to do it.

There was another reason Vaeh loved coming to class. The girls were always happy to play with her. Well, maybe not play in the most basic of senses. Kennedy had her climb on to her back, intent on showing them another move to thrown an opponent off. Vaeh felt no fear as Kennedy threw her through the air. Confident that she'd be caught.

And of course she was thrown about five feet and Nicole caught her easily enough. Everyone knew the score, if anything happened to the tot, there would be hell to pay. After that, each girl took a turn trying to throw her off their back. The girl knew her role well, she was to make it as difficult for them to do so, but each time when she went flying, someone was there to catch her.

"Don't tell you mother," Kennedy told her seriously, once everyone had a turn.

"I won't," Vaeh promised. She knew better, if she told her mom, then all this fun would be over.

Leading them into some fight moves, Kennedy went through the motions of some of her favorite punches and kicks. Loving every minute of this teaching gig. "Miss Kennedy, could you help me with this one?" She loved it even more when they called her Miss.

"Sure, Katie," she told the young blonde. Only thirteen years old, she was the youngest of the bunch, excluding the obvious mini Summers. Walking over to where Katie was sparring with her partner, she helped guide the girl through the moves they were practicing.

When she turned back to the rest of the class she immediately knew something was wrong. It took her a few seconds to realize why. Nevaeh was no longer in sight. "Anybody see where Vaeh went?" she asked hopefully. Everybody shook their head no.

"Shit, Buffy's going to kill me."

**~BF~**

"Faith, you ready to try talking today?" Buffy asked softly, trying to keep everything as calm as possible so as not to startle the other girl. At least she hadn't immediately retreated to her corner today when Buffy had entered the room, instead choosing to stay on her bed. Buffy sat in a chair several feet away, far enough away so that Faith didn't feel threatened.

"Not today, huh?" She responded as if her wife had in fact told her she didn't want to. "Well then, I'll just talk." As she had every day for the last six days. "Nevaeh asked if she could see you again today." She always got the faintest of reaction when she'd mentioned their daughter, but it was so small, she couldn't count on it for much.

"I hate telling her no. She needs you so much, baby. You gotta get through this. We both need you. More than you know." So many times she wanted to mention the baby. But she decided to wait on that. Wanting that to be something she had to tell Faith once she was back to her old self. Something they could celebrate together.

Just then her phone went off, causing Faith to flinch and curl deeper into a ball. "Sorry, it's just my phone," she tried to soothe, but knew she probably wasn't doing a good job.

Nobody ever called her when she was with Faith, they knew better, but she still kept it on her just in case. Pulling it out of her pocket, she immediately went into panic when she saw Kennedy's name flash on the screen.

"What's wrong?" she asked without preamble, trying to stay calm. "She's what? Alright, I'll be right there." Hanging up the phone she slipped it back into her pocket. "Sorry, baby. Gotta run for a few." She debated whether she should say why, but in the end decided, that even in her frame of mind, Faith was still Vaeh's mother too. "Nevaeh disappeared on Kennedy. I'll be back as soon as I find her." She resisted the urge to place a kiss on Faith's head before heading out the door.

"I'm so sorry, Buffy. I just turned away for a minute to help one of the girls and she was gone," Kennedy apologized when Buffy finally entered the room.

"It's not your fault. She knows better than to just leave. No reason to know she would have snuck off."

"Any idea where she might have gone?"

"Just one," Buffy answered honestly. She'd kept her eye out for her daughter as she made her way towards the gym, but never saw her. But then they'd never told Vaeh where Faith was, so there was no reason to believe she'd even know where to go.

"You don't think she'd leave the compound do you? I sent some girls to the front gate as soon as I realized she was gone, just in case."

"No, I think she went to find Faith. So I'm sure she's here somewhere." Buffy gave Kennedy a serious look, so she would know she meant what she said. "That was smart though, only one way out, so at least she's contained. You did good, kid. I mean that."

"I just feel so…"

"Stop," Buffy held up her hand to shush her. "I mean it. It's not your fault. It's your job to teach, you were teaching. She's the one that snuck off. And believe me, when we find her, she's gonna be in so much trouble."

Buffy took a deep breath and waited for more people to arrive. Before she'd even made it to the gym she'd called Willow, Giles, and Xander. All three of them began to gather all the girls and send them to the gym. The only reason she wasn't freaking out right now, is because she was positive her daughter was still within the four concrete walls that surrounded their small little world. But the sooner they found her, the sooner she could breath normally again.

Once everyone was present, Xander walked to the middle of the room, unrolling a map of the entire area. "I want you to divide into teams of two. Search your assigned area as thoroughly as possible. Search it again if we still haven't sounded the alarm that she's found," Buffy instructed.

"We'll find her," Xander comforted, patting Buffy on the shoulder as they watched the teams head out the door and off to their assigned areas.


	21. Found- May 05

As quietly as possible, Nevaeh walked down the dirt pathway leading to the building she believed everyone called the And Minstration building. The tingles in her back told her she was going the right way.

She knew she was going to be in major trouble when her Mom caught her, but she didn't really care. Her Mom was the one keeping her from seeing her Mama. So she was mad at her too!

She crept close to the wall. Her Mama had taught her that would help her stay hidden if someone was coming around the building. When footsteps sounded just around the corner, she darted quickly into a bush, scratching her arms and legs in the process. She wanted to cry when she saw a few drops of blood come out of the scratch on her right forearm, but Mama said she was a Slayer and Slayers were tough. So instead, she sucked back the tears and sat as quietly as possible until two of the older girls passed her by.

If she got caught her mission would be over, and who knew when she'd get another chance to see her Mama again. She hadn't planned to run off like that. But when Kennedy's back was turned, it suddenly seemed like a good idea. So she ran out of the gym before it was too late.

When she was sure the other girls were gone, she moved out of the bushes and started back on her trek around the building. The backdoors had been locked, so she needed to find another way inside.

The main doors at the front were large and really heavy, but at least they weren't locked. Using all the strength her little muscles could handle, she managed to open the door and make her way inside.

Letting the tingles guide her, she wandered the many hallways until she finally came to a staircase. She'd been in this building many times, but nobody had ever taken her into the basement. Not knowing what was down there made her walk hesitantly down the stairs. She just hoped that at the end all she would find was her Mama, and not something scary.

The hallway was lit as she jumped down the final step. Door after door could be seen on both sides of her. How was she ever supposed to find the right one? Closing her eyes, she let the tingles guide her as she took each step. Feeling the intensity increase with each one.

Stopping about five doors down, she knew her Mama was just on the other side. Trying the handle it was locked. There was a window, but she was too short to see through it. Now what was she supposed to do? Eyes wandered up and down the hall, hoping anything would give her a clue as to how to get inside. A flash of silver caught her eye, the answer had been in front of her the whole time. Up on a peg, just out of reach was a set of keys. Now she just had to figure out how to reach them.

**~BF~**

_Were four-year olds too young to ground?_ Buffy thought to herself as she wandered around the compound in search of her daughter. A timeout wasn't enough punishment for how much trouble Nevaeh was in right now. She had a lot of explaining to do when they finally found her. Every minute that they didn't find her was another minute she started to freak out just a little more.

It had been over half an hour now and they still hadn't managed to find her. If this was a different situation, Buffy would be proud of her for knowing how to stay out of sight. They were the ones that had taught her how to hide after all. But she wasn't supposed to be using her skills on them.

Buffy first went back to the house, just to make sure that Nevaeh didn't return there for some reason. But the house was empty and no sign that anyone had been there since the two of them left earlier that morning. She didn't really expect to find it any differently, so it came as no surprise to her when she didn't find her daughter there.

She knew why Vaeh had disappeared. Every day the little girl grew more anxious to visit her Mama. Faith and Nevaeh weren't just close as mother and daughter, they were also best friends. It was something Buffy had always relished in, watching them together.

Most people would probably be jealous, and there were days that she felt left out, but mostly it just made her love them even more. She knew Faith never really had friends growing up, so she was happy that her wife finally had someone like that. And Buffy had her own bond with Vaeh, so how could she really be jealous. At the end of the day, they were a family and that was all that mattered.

And it was that bond that just might lead Nevaeh straight to Faith, even if she didn't know where she was, Buffy realized with a start. Was anyone still down by Faith's room? She couldn't remember, but she didn't think so. Everyone was out here looking for Nevaeh. Taking off at a run, she headed towards her wife's room, hoping she could beat Vaeh there.

A shuffling sound alerted her to the fact that someone was in fact down there by Faith's room. Using Slayer stealth, she took the final steps down and stayed out of sight as she watched her daughter move back and forth across the hallway. The door to the room across from Faith's was open and the girl went in and exited each time with a plastic tote in hand.

On the other side of the hall, Vaeh had started building a staircase with the totes leading up to the keys that sat next to the locked door. She had to give her daughter credit, she knew how to work with what was around her.

She just stood to the side, not stopping her daughter from doing what she was doing. She was just relieved to have found her and know that she was safe. Running over here, she had realized that it wasn't fair to keep Vaeh from her mother. So long as they were there to keep her safe, then they should let her see Faith. Maybe it would be good for the both of them.

So instead she stayed hidden in the shadows, watching as the plastic staircase got higher and higher. She knew she could just walk over there and open the door for Nevaeh. She didn't though, wanting her daughter to feel as if this was something she did on her own. They had one little independent girl on their hands, and she wasn't about to stifle that. So long as she knew how to ask for help when she needed it, they'd let her be as independent as she wanted to be.

"Do you think that's wise?" Willow asked her telepathically when she found Buffy standing at the bottom of the stairs, silently watching Vaeh. "Letting her go in there?"

"Yes, I do," Buffy answered back within her own mind. "She needs to see her. I didn't really get it until now. And I'm here in case anything happens."

"Then I'll be here too," Willow thought affirmatively. The witch sent out a telepathic message to everyone letting them know that Nevaeh had been found and they could all go back to what they were doing.

**~BF~**

Nevaeh was exhausted as she threw the last tote into place. Stepping up on top of it, she was glad to finally be able to reach the keys. Metal clinked as they fell into her tiny hands. Turning around carefully, she made her way back down on her butt, exhausted from the work it took to build her stairs. Mama would be proud of her idea.

Three keys were on the keychain and she stared at them, unsure which one to try first. She could feel her Mom close by, so she needed to hurry before she found her. The first key she tried didn't want to go in and once it finally slipped in, it did nothing to unlock the door. The second key went in easily, but still it didn't unlock the door. Frustrated, she slammed in the last key, glad when the knob turned under her fingers. She did it!

Peaking inside first, her eyes found the bed where a body lay. She'd recognize that hair anywhere and knew immediately that it was her Mama. When she stepped into the room and her Mama didn't turn to look at her, she thought maybe she was sleeping.

Moving to the other side of the bed, she was surprised to look into the eyes so like her own. "Mama?" she quietly asked. She wasn't sure what to do when she got no response.

Taking another step forward, "Mama, it's me, Vaeh." Mom had told her that her Mama wasn't feeling good, and that she didn't really act like the person they loved. But until this moment she wasn't sure what that meant. The Mama she loves would have thrown her arms around her, or tickled her, or at the very least smiled at her.

"Mama," Vaeh tried again, reaching out to touch Faith.

Outside, watching from the window, Buffy flinched when she saw the tiny hand reach out to touch Faith. She was afraid of what would happen when the girl finally made contact. But a part of her knew that Faith wouldn't hurt Nevaeh. No matter how far out there she was, she'd never hurt her daughter.

As soon as she felt the light touch of a small hand, Faith wanted to pull away, but she fought it. Her mind was a swirl of emotions and thoughts, but something in her was telling her that this touch was okay.

That voice that was calling out to her was so small, so gentle. Different from the other ones talking to her the last few days. At least she thought it was days, she wasn't really sure. Time ceased to have meaning to her.

Her heart kept trying to tell her that she was home, that she was safe. However, it was losing the battle with her mind telling her that she died, she felt that pain in her stomach, sure she had been stabbed again. And then she was with _him_ , so surely she had died and gone to hell.

This place, it was just an illusion, another way to torture her. That's what her mind kept telling her. It was filled with all the lies he'd told her. Every day he came for her blood, he told her how she was never leaving. No one would come looking for her. He'd made sure of that. It was the fog that clouded everything in her mind.

"Mama, I love you," that sweet voice was telling her now.

She could sense as the body moved closer, never losing the touch on her arm. The bed next to her moved as the body crawled up beside her. "Me give you a magic hug, alright?"

Words wouldn't come, so she just let the body wrap itself around her. The feeling was familiar. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered this. A hug, when was the last time she'd had one of those? A few hours before the battle in the cemetery with Tarzar she thought.

As the arms wrapped tighter around her, a light began to fill her body. She could feel the pain start to melt away, the fog began to clear. "Nevaeh," came the hoarse whisper as she moved to hug back. "Oh my baby," came out stronger. The tears fell, and she pulled her daughter closer, rubbing her face on the curly hair.

"I'm home, I'm home," Faith cried.

Tears fell down Buffy's face as she watched the whole scene before her. Nevaeh had managed to do what they hadn't been able to do. She got through to Faith. They had a long ways to go, she knew, but this was a start. Faith finally spoke, and she knew she was home.

Turning she moved to walk in the door. She stopped in front of the bed, just watching as Faith and Nevaeh hugged each other, not sure what to do, but wanting to be with her family. But she didn't have to wait long. When Faith noticed her above them, she scooted back on the bed, pulling Nevaeh with her and making room.

Buffy took the hint and crawled on the bed behind Nevaeh, placing a hand across their daughter to hold on to Faith. "Welcome back, baby."

"I was so lost," Faith said softly. "I didn't know where I was, or what was even real."

"I know you were. But you're home now, you're safe. I promise you."

"I missed you guys so much. Thinking about you kept me sane in that place."

"We missed you too," Buffy cried, trying to pull herself even closer without squishing the little girl between them. "I'm sorry it took us so long to find you."

"It's okay. Doesn't matter now. You did find me, and I'm home now," she told her honestly. Her voice was still soft. She couldn't remember the last time she actually had a need to talk. Most days she was alone in that cave, so there was no need to speak.

"I love you so much," Buffy said tearfully.

"I love you too." They shared a smile, letting the room fall into silence. Nevaeh had long since fallen asleep, her little adventure having worn her out. Too comfortable to move, the two adults decided that maybe they should follow their daughter and let themselves take a small nap. Now that Faith had come back to them, they could deal with the world later. Right now they were content to just be together again.


	22. Back to Life- May 05

Buffy was the first one to wake from their little nap. She was still having a hard time believing this was all real. That Faith was back, and they could be together again. She'd missed her wife so much when she thought she was dead.

It seemed crazy. Never in a million years would she have ever believed she would fall in love with Faith when they first met, and even less after all the stuff with the Mayor. But now all these years later she'd gotten a taste of what life would be like without her, and she didn't like it one bit.

There was so much that needed to be talked about, from both Faith and Buffy. And getting Faith back into a normal routine wasn't going to be easy, but it was all worth it just to have her family back. For now she just wanted to bask in that feeling.

Dark eyes fluttered opened, and a smile filled her whole face as they met her own. "Hey, how are you?" Buffy asked quietly, not wanting to wake Nevaeh just yet.

"I'm alright. Sleep did me good, I think." Dislodging herself from Nevaeh, she sat up as carefully as possible and stretched out the kinks. "Even if the bed didn't."

"Well you'll sleep better tonight, in our bed." Buffy smiled at the thought. She had been dreaming about cuddling up to Faith in their bed for the last five weeks.

"Sure that's wise?" Faith asked her seriously.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Faith sighed, "I know I haven't been the sanest person around lately."

"True," Buffy admitted. "But that's all over with now."

Buffy sounded so sure about that, but she didn't know how she could be. Although a lot of it was a blur, she could vaguely recall all the times she'd tried to hurt the others around her, or cower in the corner not sure what was going to happen.

"You know, our daughter is too smart for her own good," Buffy told her, taking a minute to look down at the still sleeping girl and giving her a smile. "She never believed you were dead. Guess I should have listened to her."

"Hey, told you, doesn't matter now. I'm home."

"I know, I just wished…" she trailed off, not sure she could say all the thoughts that were going through her mind.

"I know you do," the brunette told her, knowing exactly what Buffy was trying to say without actually saying it.

"She also kept telling me that all you needed was one of her magic hugs. Seems she was right about that too." And suddenly they both realized how true that was. "You think?" she asked Faith, gesturing her head down at Vaeh.

"I dunno, maybe. Anything is possible I guess." She'd always told Nevaeh her hugs had the power to make anything feel better, and she wasn't lying. She always just assumed that's what it was like having kids, but maybe there was more to it than that. "I was still pretty far gone, but as soon as she crawled up here, it was like the fog parted and there was light again."

"Maybe we should have Giles look into that," the blonde thought out loud. But she saw the look on Faith's face and knew exactly what she was thinking. "No, we'll leave it be for now. See if she shows any other unusual abilities, then maybe we can talk to him."

"Agreed." Not that she didn't trust Giles or nothing. She just wanted her kid to lead as normal life as possible. That meant not being tested for every little thing that wasn't exactly normal. "Maybe we should wake the munchkin up."

"Probably a good idea. She'll never sleep tonight if we don't. She doesn't really take naps anymore. Not since you…" She couldn't finish that sentence. It brought back far too many memories of those early days after Faith's funeral.

Faith on the other hand was upset to realize what she'd missed. Her little girl had outgrown naps. Not the biggest milestone certainly, but still important. She'd already missed out on so much when she was a baby, every milestone was a big one for her. "Anything else I miss out on?"

"Faith," Buffy said sadly. She felt it too, how unfair it was that Faith had missed out on yet another month of her daughter's life. Sometimes this Slayer gig really sucked. But sometimes great things came from the world they lived in, and she couldn't wait to share with Faith her big news. But that could wait until they were settled back at home.

"It's cool, B," she shrugged it off, but her voice lacked any real conviction behind it. "Hey, baby girl, time to wake up," Faith spoke softly, gently rubbing the girl's back.

Vaeh grunted, showing how much she didn't want to wake up just yet, but she opened her little eyes anyway and rubbed a hand over them. "Mama, you better now?"

"I'm a lot better now. Told ya, kid, those hugs could fix anything," Faith told her, earning a giant size smile in return.

The couple slid off the bed at the same time, standing and working again on the kinks from their short nap. Vaeh on the other hand, stood up on the bed and held her arms out for Faith to pick her up.

The two mother's exchanged a look, speaking volumes, as Faith reached over and took the girl into her arms, settling her on her hip. Good thing she was a Slayer, because Vaeh was getting far too big for a normal person to hold her like this.

As soon as she was in her Mama's arms, she snuggled in, laying her head on her shoulder and wrapping her arms around her neck. The feeling of contentment was immediate. There was something that happened when she was with her Mama, Vaeh couldn't explain it, but it was if everything was just right.

"We better stop in the library and tell everyone we're heading home," Buffy suggested, as they made their way up the stairs. Actually she was a bit surprised they'd been left alone on their own so long.

Only Giles, Willow, and Tara were currently present when they stepped through the double doors to the library. Classes had been over for several hours at this point, so likely everyone was off doing their own thing. Giles and Willow on the other hand, seemed to spend every spare moment in this room. Even when there wasn't a big bad, they were in here pulling up ideas for lesson plans or training.

"Oh, Faith, you're up and about," Giles exclaimed, when the door shut behind them.

"Yep, back to the land of the living G."

"Good. Perhaps we could go over everything."

"We just came to tell you we were heading home," Buffy interjected.

"It would be best to go over the events while they are freshest in Faith's mind."

"Giles, the answers will still be the same tomorrow. I'm taking my wife and daughter home for the evening." Buffy held a stern voice as she spoke, giving her Watcher her most serious look. "We've been apart for five weeks. I think we deserve the chance to just be together. And I'd like a chance to catch her up on some things first."

Giles picked up immediately what Buffy was speaking about and simply nodded his head, knowing he wasn't going to win this one. "Quite right. Well enjoy your night, ladies. And, Faith, we'll talk tomorrow."

"Sure thing, G-man," Faith agreed. Wondering exactly what had just happened between her wife and Giles.

"What was that about?" she finally spit out once they were clear of the building.

"What was what about?" Buffy tried to ask innocently.

"You don't usually stick it to Giles like that. Just wondered what was up," Faith shrugged, trying to pretend like it didn't really matter.

"We've been apart for over a month. You don't think that's reason enough to just want to go home?"

"I guess." She knew there was more to it than that, but she'd just have to let Buffy tell her in her own time. She couldn't imagine what could have happened while she was gone. Certainly nothing too life altering.

"So what you want to do tonight, little one?" Faith asked her daughter, plopping down on the couch without ever losing her hold on Vaeh.

"Nemo!"

"Well I see one thing hasn't changed in the last month. You're still in love with that damn fish."

"Faith!" Buffy yelled, lightly smacking her wife on the arm.

"I mean… go put in the DVD," she conceded.

"I'm pretty sure it's in the player still," Buffy smiled. Whatever made Faith think that they'd have a chance to get the disc out of there. Buffy had seriously been thinking they should get Vaeh her own TV and DVD player for her room. But was four years old too young for that? She'd talk to Faith about it one of these days.

The three Summers women curled up on the couch together and the movie began to play. Buffy couldn't believe how normal this felt. And she'd never take it for granted again. Even if she had to suffer through this movie a thousand more times.

**~BF~**

"Can't believe how long it took to get that kid to fall asleep. Thought I was gonna have to read every book in her room," Faith told her wife as she entered their bedroom, pulling her shirt off as she did so and chucking it in the hamper.

She was grateful that didn't happen though. Anybody who had been in Vaeh's room knew just how many books the kid had. Everyone was always buying her new ones for birthdays and Christmas. And of course Giles would just randomly pick one up when he'd go to town. Nobody could say he didn't treat her just like a granddaughter.

"She missed you," Buffy answered in response. "We both did. She's probably worried she's going to wake up tomorrow and you'll be gone again." What Buffy didn't say was that she worried about that exact same thing.

Faith moved to Buffy and wrapped her arms around her from behind, placing a kiss into the blonde locks. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know. At least I tell myself I know. But it was so miserable here without you. I never want to feel like that again."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I can't even imagine what it would be like to lose you."

Buffy had loved and lost before, but none of that had ever compared to what the hell she had been living in recently was like. How could she ever tell Faith there were moments she wasn't sure she could even keep breathing? How could she tell her she'd locked their daughter inside the house because she was afraid of what was outside the doors?

Over time she was sure that would all come out. Just like what Faith had been through would be shared. But for now she'd just be content to be together.

Turning around, she wrapped her arms around her wife, pulling her into a tight hug. The feel of naked skin under her arms was something she'd missed more than words could ever say. She hadn't even realized they'd had their whole conversation with Faith half naked. "I've really missed you," she smirked, placing a kiss on a soft shoulder.

"Ah, I see how it is. You just missed the sex," Faith teased.

"No, well yes, but no I missed just being with you, holding you, loving you."

"I've missed that too," the brunette started. "I'm not sure I can tonight though."

Buffy felt a little sad at that, but she wasn't going to get upset. Faith had been through something horrible. It would take her awhile to get back to where they were before this all happened. She could wait, so long as she could still hold her and touch her. That was all that mattered. "It's okay. Whenever you're ready, I'll be a willing participate," she smirked.

"Perv."

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle." Buffy kept waiting for the right moment to tell Faith their news. But no moment had seemed right. She couldn't let them go to sleep and not tell her though. "Finish getting ready for bed," she said, changing the subject for now.

Faith nodded her head and walked into their bathroom to do as she was told. When she finally came out, Buffy was already in bed, but she knew just by her breathing that she wasn't asleep. Slipping between the sheets, she just stared into those eyes that she loved, never wanting tonight and this feeling to end. The feeling of finally being where she belonged.

"So, I have some news to share with you," Buffy finally spoke.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I'm pregnant."

It took a full two minutes for those two simple words to fully invade her mind. When they finally had, the biggest grin stole over her face. "No freaking way! Really?"

Buffy smiled back. "Really."

"This is fucking awesome!" Faith immediately reached out and placed a hand on Buffy's belly. No noticeable bump there yet, but there would be soon. And Faith couldn't wait to see it. They'd done it. They were having a baby.


	23. Back to Reality- May 05

Buffy woke the next morning not quite wanting to open her eyes. Afraid that the day before had all been just a dream and Faith was still in another building. It had seemed so surreal that after so long, her wife was finally back home with them.

She knew it wasn't just a dream when a hand found her belly and began to gently rub. Movement on the bed suggested that Faith was scooting down, but still she didn't open her eyes. Wanting to see what Faith was going to do.

Her shirt was pushed up, revealing her stomach to Faith's eyes. At only nine weeks she hadn't even began to show, but apparently that wasn't going to stop Faith from whatever she was up to. Warm lips pressed themselves intently just next to her belly button.

"Good morning, baby. Sorry we didn't meet sooner, but I'm your Mama. Your Mommy decided with your sister that she gets the title of Mom, and I got stuck with Mama, but I'm cool with that. Mama's more badass anyway." Faith whispered. Buffy stayed silent trying not to let the other woman know she was awake.

"Your sister, she's gonna love you. You're gonna be so loved you won't know what to do with yourself. Never thought I wanted kids, but big sis changed all that for me. And now I get you, too. I can't wait to meet you. Love you, baby," she finished, placing another kiss.

"Alright, I'm done now," Faith said to Buffy, as she crawled back to pull her into her arms.

"You knew I was awake?" Faith just nodded. "Well that was really sweet."

"I meant every word. I've always felt so lucky to have you and Nevaeh, but still I think a part of me took it for granted. But being in that place. It changed that for me. I got my family back, and knowing we are having another baby is just amazing." Placing a kiss on Buffy's lips, slipping her fingers through the strands of blonde hair, she held her wife in place as she deepened the kiss.

"Mm, I've missed that," Buffy whispered when they finally pulled apart. She leaned in and placed another deep kiss on Faith's lips.

Hands began to wander as they continued to make out like horny teenagers. Something they were really good at doing. Just as Buffy was reaching for the hem of Faith's top, the door knob rattled followed by a loud banging on the door.

"Let me in, wanna see Mama," came the demand through the door.

"Think she wants to make sure you're still here," Buffy said.

"Yeah, probably. Better go open it before she decides to try breaking the thing down." Slipping out of bed, Faith padded over to the door as quietly as possible. The sudden yanking open of the door caught Nevaeh by surprise, leaving her hand up in mid knock. "What's with all the racket, munchkin?" she teased.

"I'm hungry."

"Well we can't have that now, can we? Wanna race downstairs?" This got a threatening 'Faith' from Buffy. But surprisingly also got a shake of the head from Nevaeh. Instead she just put her arms up to be carried. Complying, she reached down and settled the little girl on her hip, enjoying the feel of her daughter as she curled into her shoulder. "I missed you too, kiddo," Faith spoke softly into her hair, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Let's go get some breakfast."

Buffy stayed in bed, just listening to the sounds drifting up the stairs. Faith was right, their family was something they would never take for granted again. They were Slayers, they weren't even meant to live this long, and yet here they were. They were married with a child and one on the way. Something no Slayer had ever had before. And life couldn't get any better.

**~BF~**

Faith hesitated outside the door. Pacing back and forth, she couldn't force herself to go in. If she went in, then everything would be real again. She didn't want to have to relive it all. Why did she need to anyway? She was home again, and according to Buffy, Tarzar was worm food, if they had worms in his dimension.

The door slowly creaks open, and a blonde head pops out. "Baby, you coming in?"

Faith just shakes her head and continues to pace. Stepping all the way through the door, Buffy let it close behind her. Reaching an arm out, she stopped her wife in her pacing and pulled her into her. Placing a soft kiss on her lips, "Come on, you can do this."

"Why do we have to? It's not going to change anything."

"No it's not," Buffy agreed. But she also knew that discussing such events help the person deal with them, and they helped for future training and research. "You're right, it won't change anything about the past, but it may help the future. It may help us train better, and research better. And one day it may come in handy when Nevaeh's an active Slayer."

Faith nodded, knowing what Buffy was saying. Faith pulled back, distancing herself, but only enough so they could walk into that room. Only after their fingers were entwined did she signal for Buffy to go ahead and open the door.

"Ah, Faith, glad you finally joined us," Giles tried to tease light-heartedly. He didn't want her to think he was upset with her. He knew this was going to be hard on her. He felt a good sense of guilt for not just believing Buffy when she'd first come to him.

His reasons for not believing her were valid, he knew. However, Buffy tended to be right when it came to these kinds of things. Most of all he blamed himself for believing Tarzar's prophecy. They'd never come across a demon so cunning.

At least they'd still managed to defeat him.

"I'm here, G. Whada ya want to know?"

"Let's start with the battle. What do you remember?"

Faith began from the moment they'd stepped into the cemetery. Within a few minutes into the battle she knew how outnumbered they were. But it didn't slow them down, taking out one vampire at a time.

"I remember I started yelling out more orders, and then feeling a pain starting in my stomach. I thought for sure I'd been stabbed. Within seconds my whole body felt like it was on fire, and I believe I passed out. When I woke, I thought for sure I was dead. I checked my stomach and there wasn't a wound, so then I really thought I was dead, you know if I was in hell or whatever my wound was no longer there." Faith wasn't sure if she was explaining it right. Giles seemed to understand what she was saying though so she just continued on.

"I had no idea where I was, it looked like a room, but not made out of anything I'd ever seen before. I was left there for I don't know how long. When the door finally did open and Tarzar walked in, I started to piece together what happened. The pain I felt must have been some kind of transportation spell. He confirmed it for me later."

She felt weak for several days when she first arrived. Every day he would come in and draw some of her blood. Not a lot, just enough to maybe fill a syringe or two. And not enough to keep her feeling weak. The first chance she got where she started to feel almost at full strength, she tried to fight back. She almost got away too, but he caught up to her and that's when he'd thrown her into the cave.

"You were only gone about a month here, do you know how long you were there?" Giles asked. This was the one thing he was the most curious about.

"I think they only fed me once a day, and always just before he came in to take some more blood. Food was nasty by the way. If that was true then more than three months. I stopped counting after about ninety days."

Three months? Buffy scooted closer to Faith, wrapping her arm more firmly around her. Faith had endured that hell for more than three months. She knew she had to stay strong until they were through this, but all she really wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry with Faith in her arms. Why were they forced to go through so much? They saved the world again and again, and this was the thanks they got.

"Every time he'd come, he'd go on and on about how he'd fooled us all. Nobody would be able to figure out he'd taken me. And nobody would come looking for me. I realized from what he was saying, that he'd somehow replaced me or faked my death. After those first three months, I just felt it was hopeless and gave up. Was probably there another couple months before you found me, but not sure."

No wonder it took them so long to get Faith back. She'd been living in that hell for months, believing there was no hope that anyone would even try to find her.

"He was very cunning. He took a doppelganger from another dimension and killed her and then when he took you, he replaced you with her."

Faith let out a laugh she didn't actually feel. "Well at least the prophecy was real in a way, I did die."

"Not you, but yes in a way I suppose you did. We figure she probably wasn't a Slayer wherever she was. Made her an easy target for him."

"How'd you figure out it wasn't me?"

Buffy didn't want to tell her how they'd figured it out, because that would make it look like she should have figured it out sooner, but Faith needed the truth. "After that dream we shared, I knew something wasn't right. It was a picture of you on the beach that changed it for me. When you 'died' I was so upset, I didn't really notice anything going on around me. But looking at that picture, I realized something. The body we buried, it didn't have your tattoo. And Will remembered she didn't have your scar either."

"Wow, so as smart as he was, he made a mistake. Good to know demons are still stupider than humans."

"Quite," Giles agreed.

"And we're sure he's dead?" Faith asked, needed confirmation just so she could feel a little safer.

"We're sure. Kennedy apparently felt a bit of rage on your behalf and sliced him into several pieces. After you were all a safe distance away, they let off a nice little bomb, blowing the place up," Buffy assured her.

"Man, too bad I missed it."

"Yeah, another bomb involved and once again you were unconscious," the blonde teased.

"Hey, this one wasn't my fault. I vaguely recalled being shot with a tranquilizer."

"Kennedy apologizes for that by the way."

"I'll tell her it's cool. She had to do what she had to do." She knew soon she'd have to deal with everyone. She was glad they were giving her space right now though. Maybe they could start out small, invite Dawn and Kennedy over for dinner later. She'd suggest it to Buffy when they finally got done here. She spent so long by herself, it was going to be hard getting used to being around a bunch of people again.

Dawn had been watching Vaeh, while they had their meeting with Giles. Before she left, Buffy asked her to come back and bring Kennedy for dinner. She easily agreed. Everyone loved coming over to Buffy and Faith's for meals. It was a lot better than the food they served in the cafeteria.

As soon as the door was closed behind Dawn, Faith wrapped her arms around Buffy from behind, nuzzling her face into her wife's hair. Brushing the hair to the side, she follows up with a lingering kiss to the other woman's neck.

Buffy moaned at the contact. Five weeks of not being touched after a very healthy sex life was not helping her keep her cool right now. "Quit torturing me."

"Not torture. Teasing. Loving," Faith told her between kisses.

"With our daughter upstairs that could come down at any minute, that's torture."

"I keep telling you, she's old enough to entertain herself now and give us an hour alone."

Buffy tried not to roll her eyes, too lost in the pleasure Faith was giving her. They'd had that argument several times. She knew eventually she'd cave into Faith, but not until Nevaeh was much, much older. She did not want to explain what sex was to their four-year old if she decided to come find them.

"I haven't told her our news yet," she suddenly thought out loud. Anything to stop what was happening was probably a good thing.

"You haven't?"

"No, I thought about it when I found out. I think a part of me held back, wanting you to be here, even if I didn't consciously know that was possible."

"Vaeh, get down here," Faith shouted up the stairs.

"And apparently we're telling her right now," Buffy muttered to herself.

"Damn right we are," Faith said as if was obvious.

Buffy just shrugged and followed Faith into the living room, sitting down so there was enough room between them for Vaeh to sit between them. It made sense to her in a way she guessed. Buffy had told all her friends. Well Vaeh was Faith's best friend. It was only fair.

"Come, sit," Faith told the little girl when she wandered into the room, patting the space between them. "We got something to tell you," Faith started when their daughter was safely tucked between them. But then she turned to Buffy giving her a look as if to ask how do they wanted to do this.

"Remember that appointment I had last week that you wanted to go too?" Nevaeh nodded her head. "Well I had to go to the doctor."

"Why, you sick? Did he gives you medicine?" Vaeh asked, a little worried why her moms both wanted to talk to her.

"I'm not sick, but I'll have to go to the doctor a lot over the next few months." And hopefully Giles would find someone soon. He told her a couple days ago he thought he'd found a good candidate and she'd be coming for an interview in a couple days.

"How come?"

"Because your Mom has a baby in her belly."

"A baby? How'd it get there?" she asked curiously, looking hesitantly at her mom's stomach.

"That is not something for you to know for another twenty years," Faith said seriously. "That's not the important part. What we're telling you is that you're going to be a big sister."

"A big sister? Like Mommy?" Aunty Dawnie had told her how her mom was Dawn's big sister and how cool it was to have her as a sister.

"Yes, like Mommy," Faith answered. "You cool with that?"

"Can I play with her?"

"Of course you can, once she's born," Buffy told her.

"Or him, it could be a boy. You could have a brother," Faith tried to reason, she kind of wanted a son. Although she wouldn't mind one bit if it was another girl. Maybe this one would be a mini-Buffy. And she had a feeling that Buffy believed it was a girl, just by the look she was giving her right now. There was no way she could know, it was far too early. Which was going to make this so much fun, playing the guessing game. She could drive Buffy nuts insisting it was a boy. And she was going to, simply on principle.

"When she gonna be born?"

Buffy tried not to groan. Nevaeh was inquisitive, and telling her this early along, they had now set themselves up for months of questions, and several of them she was sure were going to be repeated time and again. It was going to be a long seven months. But watching as Faith took their daughter's hand and placed them both on Buffy's belly, she realized she wouldn't change it for anything.


	24. With Arms Wide Open- Nov. 05

"Faith," Buffy whined as she tried in vain to get off the couch. Her body just wouldn't cooperate anymore. She was a Slayer, she was supposed to have more control over her body than other people, and yet she couldn't seem to get off this couch. It just wasn't right.

"What's up, babe?" Faith asked, making her way into the room. She tried not to laugh as she watched Buffy struggling just trying to stand up. Experience had told her she'd be in the dog house if she let out a chuckle.

"I can't get up, and I really have to pee," she whined again. "This is all your fault!"

Faith ignored the second comment, instead moving to help her wife get up off the couch. They'd had that argument several times. Buffy even going so far as to yell at her for not telling her that pregnancy was like this. The brunette was smart enough to keep her mouth shut and not tell her that her own pregnancy with Nevaeh was a breeze compared to Buffy's.

The only truly unbearable thing she'd had to deal with was knowing that at the end of it she had to send her baby away and wouldn't get to see her. And at the time she believed she'd never see her again. She could never express to Buffy how she'd felt that first time she'd walked into the visitors room at the prison to find not only Buffy, but her daughter as well.

"I feel so huge," Buffy pouted as Faith walked with her to the downstairs bathroom.

"Your definitely bigger than I was. This kid is gonna be much bigger than Vaeh was." Faith sucked in a breath, hoping that Buffy's hormones wouldn't have made her hear Faith call her fat, as had happened in the past when Faith had commented on the size of the baby.

"I know, and it's still not over yet."

The last six months had been a crazy ride of family togetherness, and dealing with Buffy's ever changing mood swings. After discussing it with Buffy at length, Faith had decided to enter semi-retirement. She still taught classes, but just as Buffy had decided long ago, she no longer went out to fight on the front lines every night. Being able to be a family was far more important now than it ever was.

Giles wasn't happy that he was losing yet another experienced Slayer, but the fatherly side of him understood. They had earned the right to live as normal lives as possible. There were Slayers all around the world that could handle whatever was coming.

Faith stood outside the bathroom door just in case Buffy needed her help again. So far the original Chosen One was too proud to ask for help in the bathroom, but she knew that Faith stood out there waiting just in case. All though it was a lot easier to get off the toilet than it was the couch. It still took her longer than she would have liked it to.

Washing her hands, she tried not to look at herself in the mirror. Just like the rest of her body, her face looked as if was slightly bloated, and she had bags under eyes. It wasn't easy to get uninterrupted sleep these days. She never was one to sleep on her back, but at the moment that was the only way she could even attempt to sleep.

"Dawn just text me," Faith said when Buffy finally opened the bathroom door. "She asked if her and Kennedy could keep Vaeh overnight."

"What'd you tell them?"

"That it was fine. That cool with you?" Faith asked, afraid that maybe her wife wouldn't like that idea.

"Yeah, it's fine. Did they say why?" Not that she really cared why, it just seemed kind of out of the blue. Kennedy was always up for baby-sitting with Dawn, but she was always grateful when they came to get her at the end of the night. She liked having Dawn all to herself at night, for reasons Buffy wouldn't allow herself to think about.

"Apparently Dawn wants to go see the new Disney movie and Kennedy told them she was absolutely not sitting through a kids movie without a kid present."

So they were using her daughter. Oh well, it was for the best. Nevaeh had been bugging them to see that movie as well, but Buffy wasn't really up to sitting through a long movie. "So, what are we going to do with the whole house to ourselves for a night?"

"Whatever you want," Faith told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and placing a kiss on the side of her head. "I was trying to get the kitchen clean before you yelled for me. Like to get that finished, but then I'm all yours."

The blonde followed her wife into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. She wasn't much help with cleaning these days, her stomach always getting in the way, but she could at least keep Faith company while she did the work.

She was grateful to have a wife who would pick up the slack. Not that Faith was a slacker before, although Buffy definitely did more of the house work. As soon as she started to show, it was like a switch in Faith went off and she was constantly doing everything, not letting Buffy lift a finger.

"Nevaeh sure seems to like her new room," Faith said, starting conversation.

"Finally, I thought she was never going to sleep in there." When they'd first told her they wanted to move her into the empty room she'd thrown a fit, but her room was closer to theirs and they wanted to use it for the baby. They'd finally talked her into it when they told her she could decorate it anyway she wanted.

It took another two days to convince her that a complete Nemo theme room probably wouldn't be best. They'd settle for a princess room with some Nemo decorations. Even then, she'd often crawl into their room at night, or they'd find her asleep on the couch in the morning, or in her old room on a pile of blankets she'd carried in there.

It was hard to believe their little girl would be five years old next month. This baby was due on the twenty-eighth of November, so their kid's birthdays wouldn't be too far apart. Between birthdays and Christmas the couple would be shelling out cash like crazy at the end of the year every year, but they'd love every minute of it.

"Baby's almost ready to go?" Buffy asked Faith, since that was another thing she wasn't allowed to help with.

"Just about. I've got the crib all set up, but waiting for the baby before I wash the bedding. Wouldn't want to put him on dusty blankets."

"Good, yes, she'd probably prefer fresh bedding," Buffy said, putting emphasis on the word she. This was a never ending game for them. They had decided not to find out the sex of the baby, it didn't really matter to either one of them. So they'd decorated the nursery in more neutral tones with a Winnie-the-Pooh theme.

The only thing that really saddened Buffy about this whole thing was that they had to buy a new bassinet for their bedroom. The one Nevaeh had used, and even Buffy herself when she was a baby was somewhere buried in the crater that used to be Sunnydale.

She also really wished her mother was here. She'd really been missing her these last few months. Sure she was already a mom and her own mother had at least got to see her get to that point in her life. But this was different. This was her first pregnancy and it would have been nice to benefit from someone else who had been through this. She was fairly sure that Faith wasn't telling her everything, which meant Buffy was having it harder than she had.

"How about I make some popcorn and we watch a movie?" Faith asked, as she folded up the washcloth and sat it on the bar between the two sinks.

"Alright," Buffy agreed. How times had changed. Once upon a time, they would have had each other's clothes off as soon as they realized they could do so uninterrupted. She knew Faith would be up for it, but she just wasn't feeling sexy these days.

Besides, curling up with her lover on the couch. Life couldn't get much sweeter than that. They found a nice romantic comedy they hadn't seen before and just cuddled together, the popcorn mostly untouched on the coffee table in front of them.

**~BF~**

Buffy wiggled around. She really wasn't able to get comfortable enough to sleep. Figuring it was pointless to try at this time, she tried to get up without waking Faith, which was easier said than done. A grumpy Faith was never a good thing, and she'd prefer to let her get as much sleep as possible.

Stretching her back, she felt a moment of pain like she'd pulled something. Straightening back up, she headed into their bathroom. She was up anyway, might as well hit the toilet now, it was only a matter of minutes before her body decided it needed it anyway.

"B, what's wrong?" Faith asked, catching her wife pacing back and forth in the living room. She'd tried to find Buffy to curl up to her in her sleep and when she didn't find her, it had woken her up.

"Can't sleep," Buffy told her, stopping in her tracks as Faith walked towards her.

The brunette watched as Buffy's hand rubbed her back, she wasn't even sure her wife was aware she was doing it. "Is that all?" Buffy just nodded her head. "Are you sure?" It may have almost been five years, but she remembered how she was feeling in the time shortly before her water broke.

"My back hurts a little, but I think I just pulled it wrong when I stretched."

"Mmhm," Faith just mumbled.

"You're not going to go back to bed?" Buffy asked when Faith plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"No point, soon as your water breaks we gotta get to the hospital," Faith said as if it was obvious.

Buffy made a noise of disagreement. "No way am I in labor. I still have three and a half weeks to go."

She knew Buffy wouldn't believe her. Her wife liked to be in control, and she had a nice little plan of how this whole thing was supposed to play out. Going into labor in the middle of the night over three weeks early wasn't in her plan.

It was almost an hour later before Faith was proven right and Buffy's water broke all over the bathroom floor. "No, this can't happen! Anita isn't back yet," Buffy cried.

Anita was the OBGYN that Giles had finally hired after a long search for an acceptable candidate. Buffy liked her instantly and was grateful to finally have a doctor that they could be honest about where this baby came from. One of the other Slayers in Nevada had gotten hurt and she was newly pregnant, so Anita had flown over to check her out and wasn't due back until tomorrow.

"Sorry, babe. But it appears our little one has a different plan." Only reason Faith was able to keep a cool head was because she'd already been through this. She remembered what Buffy was feeling right now. Scared out of her mind.

Grabbing the bag out of the closet, she ran out and threw it in the car. If Anita had been here, they would have just taken her to the infirmary. But Faith had packed a bag for the hospital, just in case. She wasn't about to take any chances of not being prepared.

She ran into the house and grabbed some dry sweats for Buffy. Back down the stairs she went and helped her wife change. Then threw a towel on the mess in the bathroom and wiped it up real quick. Throwing all the wet stuff into the hamper for later, she washed her hands and walked back out to where Buffy was still freaking out in the hallway.

Picking her up, she carried the blonde out to the car and buckled her in. Throwing her phone into the holster on the dashboard, she hit the speed dial for Dawn. "It's 3 a.m. This better be good," Kennedy growled on the other end.

"Buffy's in labor, we're heading to the hospital. Will you and Dawn make the round of calls?" She heard a growl she took as agreement and disconnected the phone. Thank goodness they already had Vaeh at their place, made this whole situation a lot easier.

Buffy groaned in pain as a contraction took over her. "It's okay, sweetie, we'll be there soon," Faith tried to comfort, taking the blonde's hand in her own and placing a kiss on her knuckles.

**~BF~**

"How we doing?" the doctor asked as she entered the room to check on Buffy, which earned her a glare from the patient that clearly said how she was feeling.

They'd been at the hospital several hours already and each time this doctor, Dr. Colton, came in, she told her the same thing. It wasn't time yet. Buffy was about to strangle her if she told her one more time that it wasn't time to push. She was ready for this to be over with.

"You have a whole clan out in the waiting room," she told them, trying to make conversation. Buffy was too wrapped up in the pain to notice and Faith was too busy comparing this to her own labor. She'd had Angel out there, that was it. Everything had turned out better than she'd ever hoped for though, so for that she was grateful.

"The ones that just got here, they had a cute little girl with them. She yours?" Dr. Colton asked, as she checked Buffy's vitals and then moved to look at her progress.

"Yes, our daughter," Buffy panted.

"Figured, she looks just like you," the doc told Faith. "Well, looks like we're just about ready to push. You ready?"

"I'm passed ready," Buffy growled. She'd opted to go without drugs, she was a Slayer, she could hack a little pain. Or so she'd thought. With the first push, she was wishing she could take that choice back.

In between Faith would wet her forehead down with a washcloth and place kisses in her hair, giving her words of encouragement the whole time. Buffy couldn't imagine going through this with anyone else. Faith was the most perfect partner she could imagine. When she insisted she couldn't push one more time, her wife crawled up behind her and held her as she whispered soothing words into her ear.

Finally a cry was heard throughout the room. "It's a girl," Dr. Colton said proudly, holding up yet another Faith look alike.

Faith got up from behind Buffy and cut the cord. Catching a good glimpse of their daughter before a nurse took her to clean her up.

"You ready to push again?" Dr. Colton asked, pulling both women's attention back to her.

Buffy looked confused, but Faith tried to calm her with an "Oh for the placenta," her voice ending almost on a question.

"No, for the other baby."

"What other baby?" Buffy asked with a hitch to her voice.

"You didn't know you were having twins?" Both women shook their heads no. "Well, surprise," Dr. Colton tried.

She guided the couple through the next set of contractions. Faith took her spot back behind Buffy, holding her tightly. Wishing she could give her some of her strength. She knew how exhausted her wife was feeling, she could feel her emotions like an echo through her whole body. Buffy went almost slack against her as soon as the second baby was finally freed.

"Another girl," they both heard. Looking at their baby, Faith especially was happy to see that this one would be a mini-Buffy, just what she wanted.

Faith moved to relax next to Buffy as the girls were cleaned up. "Here you go Moms, here's your girls," one of the nurses told them as the they were handed the babies.

"We have twins," Buffy said in awe, giving Faith an intense stare before turning back to the baby in her arms. Both of them had dark hair, but the one Buffy was holding was shades lighter than her sister.

"Told ya I had mad skills," Faith joked. Wondering if they'd in fact had the spell work both times they'd tried it back in February. They'd never know for sure, but either way, they had the baby they wanted, and a very special surprise to go with her.

"Now we just need names," Buffy pointed out. They'd never been able to agree on any names they'd thrown out over the last six months. This was going to be hard.

"How about Spencer?"

"Isn't that a boy's name? Where'd you come up with that?" Buffy asked, although she kind of liked it.

"Nah, was watching this new show last night. Chicks name was Spencer. I'd say we name the other Ashley, but somehow I have a feeling those two will end up a couple in the show, so better pick something different."

"Alright, Spencer it is. I'm not big on Ashley anyway, too normal. We need another name that's kind of unique. I know, what about Skye?"

"Spencer and Skye," Faith let it roll over in her mind. "Yeah I like that, they both start with S, but they are different enough that it's not one of those cutesy twin names." Faith leaned over, careful not to jostle either of the sleeping babies, and placed a kiss on Buffy's lips. "I love you."

"I love you too."


	25. Twins- Nov. 05

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter. Hope everyone reading enjoyed!

"Mama, Mommy, baby here?" A little voice asked as Vaeh made her way into the room, followed by Dawn and then everyone else in their family.

They were seated in a way that it wasn't obvious to anyone yet that they each held a baby, and they'd instructed the nurse that went out to get them, not to spoil the surprise.

"Actually, we have a surprise for you," Buffy told Vaeh, signaling for her to come close to the bed. "Climb on up here and meet your sisters."

Vaeh was too young to catch the plural in that sentence, but shocked sounds made their way around the rest of the group. At the same time, Faith and Buffy both moved the bundles in their arms to show Vaeh the two little faces. "Everyone, meet Spencer Joyce Summers," Buffy said, holding her lookalike up.

"And Skye Marie Summers," Faith finished, holding up her lookalike.

"Wow, twins," Tara finally stuttered, breaking the silence.

"You guys didn't know?" Dawn asked, feeling as if they had, but kept it from them all.

"No it came as a surprise to us too, believe me," Buffy exclaimed.

"But you had ultrasounds, how is that possible?" Willow asked this time.

"We only had one, back when Anita first started. Dr. Colton thinks it's possible one was hiding behind the other for it. And their heartbeats might just have been in sync during the moments she'd listen. We'll never really know how. But doesn't matter, we get two for the price of one," Faith finished with a giant grin.

"Speak for yourself. No wonder your pregnancy was so much easier," Buffy said with a pout.

Faith knew she was caught. Should have known she couldn't hide that from her wife. They knew each other too well. "Sorry, babe. But just look at them, they are too cute."

"Faith just said cute," Kennedy teased.

"Shut up, brat. They're my babies I can say they are cute if I want too."

"They are rather cute," Dawn agreed, scooting closer so that she could see them better. "Can I hold one?"

"Sure, come get Spencer," Buffy told her, signaling to the baby in her arms. "Spencer, meet your Aunt Dawn," she told the sleeping infant that didn't even bother to bat an eyelash as she was transferred into different arms.

Dawn stared down at the baby in her arms. She remembered Nevaeh being this small, but back then she didn't have much interest in the baby. "She looks just like you."

"I know, it's pretty awesome," Buffy said excitedly. "But Skye definitely looks like Faith and Nevaeh."

"I wanna hold a baby," Vaeh pouted, after watching Dawn play with one of her sisters.

"Come here, squirt," Faith tells her, handing Skye to Buffy, she pulled Vaeh into her lap. Once she was settled, Buffy turned and handed Skye to Faith, who placed the baby in Nevaeh's lap, making sure to keep her own hand supporting the baby's head. "Say hi to your sister Skye."

"Hi, Skye, I your big sister," Vaeh proudly stated.

"You're going to be an awesome big sister," Faith told her, placing a kiss into her big girl's hair.

For the next hour both babies switched hands in a continuous motion. They knew it would be this way, but it seemed even worse, with two babies to go around it seemed to make everyone even more antsy for a turn.

Buffy was almost relieved when Skye let out a wail. She'd barely gotten to hold her middle daughter for more than a few minutes since she was born. She'd finally get a chance to hold on to her for more than a couple minutes and nobody would try to take her. Tara handed the baby over to her easily, and everyone found something more interesting to look at to give her privacy to situate the baby to nurse.

Everyone that is except Nevaeh. "What you doing, Mommy?"

Buffy and Faith both gave each other a deer in headlights kind of look. Buffy had stated from early on that she was going to breastfeed. Neither woman had taken it into consideration that their always inquisitive daughter would question it.

"I'm feeding the baby," Buffy started gently. "When babies are really little they don't have teeth like you do so they can't eat all the yummy food you like. Instead they drink milk that comes from a mommy."

Nevaeh tilted her head like she was thinking about it. "Me did too when I was a baby?"

The room had fallen silent with Nevaeh's first question, but this one had everyone suck in a deep breath waiting for a pin to drop.

"You drank milk too, but not from Mommy, you drank it from a bottle," Buffy tried, hoping if she gave her a partial answer it would satisfy her.

"How come?"

Faith flipped Nevaeh around so that she could talk to her face to face. "You know how your sisters were in Mommy's tummy?" Nevaeh just nodded her head. "Well that's why she has the milk for them. But you didn't come from her tummy, you came from mine."

"So you feed me?"

"Sometimes after babies get older they will drink from a bottle, just like your sisters probably will later. But with you, you drank from a bottle right from the start. You don't remember this, but when you were just a baby, Mama couldn't be with you all the time. She was in big trouble and had to stay in her room," Faith tried to explain prison in a way that an almost five year old could understand. "But when I was good, Mommy would bring you up to play for a bit. But since I couldn't be there all the time, Mommy bought milk that's for babies at the store. It was good stuff though, promise you loved that stuff," Faith tried to end on a light note.

Nobody in the room had anything to add. They didn't like to think about that time in their lives. Faith especially hated all the shit she pulled back then. But having what she had now, more than made up for it.

"You did good, baby," Buffy whispered in her ear. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Nevaeh seemed to be pacified with Faith's answer as well so the subject was dropped. Almost as if the two planned it, Spencer let off a wail as soon as Skye was done. Buffy handed Skye over to Faith to burp so she could take Spencer to feed.

**~BF~**

"You sure you're okay to take Nevaeh again tonight?" Buffy asked her sister, who was holding a passed out little girl. The day's event had been too much for her and she'd fallen asleep about twenty minutes ago.

"We'll be fine, we'll just stay at your house tonight."

"No sex in our bed," Faith stated without missing a beat.

"Please, like we'd ever do that," Dawn spat, but the look on Kennedy's face clearly said she'd originally had other ideas.

"Don't worry, we'll stay over too, keep them company," Willow told them.

"Good idea," Buffy agreed. Not that she worried about Nevaeh, but she did worry about having a couple still clearly in the honeymoon phase of their relationship in their house alone all night.

The troops all filed out together, leaving the room in almost silence for the first time all day. Buffy took in a deep breath, letting the moment fully hit her. She was a mom… again, to two babies. At least she had experience, if this would have happened pre-Nevaeh she'd probably be freaking right now.

But this time she had experience, and this time she had Faith. She wasn't alone to take care of these babies.

Faith scooted out of the bed, careful not to jostle the sleeping Spencer currently in her arms. Placing her in the little hospital baby bed, she grabbed Skye from Buffy and did the same with her. Kicking off her shoes, she climbed back onto the bed, this time under the covers.

"Not sure they're gonna let you sleep there," Buffy told her, but made no move to change the situation.

"Like to see them make me move. 'Sides not like we'll be getting a lot of sleep anyway. Double S will wake us up in an hour or two."

"Double S? That's what you're going with?"

"Until I can think of something better, you betcha."

"You're a goof," was all Buffy responded with, curling into Faith's body. She was glad her wife was going to stay there with her, she never slept well without her beside her. "We have twins."

"Amazing isn't it." There was no question in Faith's voice, it was a simple statement of fact. They'd been an awesome family before, but now it just seemed more complete. Like everything was as it should be.

**~BF~**

Buffy and the twins were finally released the next evening. Since they hadn't been expecting twins, Dr. Colton just wanted to keep an eye on both girls, but once she saw everything was fine she quickly signed off on their release. They'd already talked to Anita about giving them an exam in a day or two, just to make sure they were good on the more mystical side of their birth.

Since there was too many of them to all ride in one car, they told them all to just stay home. There really was no sense for any of them to come to the hospital just so they could all caravan back home with them. And they didn't want to leave anyone out by letting some come and not others.

Faith was regretting that decision though when she realized she'd be the one that had to drive. At least Giles had gone out and got them another car seat. But to put it in they had to take out Vaeh's booster seat to fit them both in there. They were going to need a bigger car, that much was obvious. No way were they buying a minivan though, a nice big SUV should do nicely, Faith thought to herself.

They got both girls strapped into their seats, neither waking up for this great event. One of them might look like Buffy, but they both obviously had Faith's sleeping habits, as in they liked to sleep, a lot. After helping Buffy into the car, who was still a little sore, she made her way around the hood and hopped in the driver's seat.

"We ready?"

"We're ready," Buffy replied excitedly. Every couple blocks she'd turn to check on the babies, only to find them both still sleeping. Buffy was a little disappointed they weren't aware this was such a momentous occasion. Not that she expected more, she was just so excited and they were sleeping through it.

Pulling onto the gravel pad that passed as their driveway, both women went to the doors and unlatched the carrier closest to them. Neither was surprised when they found everyone in their living room under a giant banner that read "Welcome Home."

"How was the drive?" Giles asked them as they each sat their carrier on the coffee table and unlatched a baby.

"Good, obviously they slept through it all," Buffy answered.

"It's going to be an adjustment I imagine," he reasoned.

"We'll manage," Faith replied easily. She was totally up for this. She'd finally get her chance to be a real mom to her infants. Maybe that was why Vaeh was more than just her daughter. She got to come in and be a mom later. It made it easier to relate to her on a friend level as well. She'd just have to try and do that with the twins, she didn't want any of her daughters to feel like she favored them.

"We have a surprise for you," Xander said excitedly. A little too excitedly if you asked Faith, it almost looked like he had ants in his pants. "Follow me," he told them. Heading up the stairs he stopped just outside the nursery room door. "I present to you the new and improved nursery," he stated throwing the door open.

Both women walked in with a baby in their arms as they took everything in. There were now two cribs, rocking chairs, and dressers. The closet was fuller than it had been when they'd left for the hospital. They'd had a few things like unisex onesies in it before, but now it held girl clothes, and there were doubles of everything.

"There's also a second bassinet in your room and a double stroller in the downstairs closet," Dawn told them.

"You guys, you didn't have to do this," Buffy said, trying not to let the tears fall.

"We couldn't let the babies come home and only one have a bed now could we," Willow told them.

"This is amazing," Faith said, the emotion in her own voice belying her feelings.

"Thank you." Buffy went around giving everyone awkward hugs, truly grateful for having such a wonderful family.

"Yes, it's lovely, but I had no part in it," Giles told them, leaving both women a little confused. "I have another surprise for you." Reaching into his pocket, he produced a set a keys and handed them to Faith.

"What are these for, G?"

"For your brand new Toyoto Land Cruiser, currently parked over by the gym."

"Serious?" Faith exclaimed. "Hell ya!"

"Mama say bad word," Vaeh told the room.

"That's 'cause Grandpa Giles just gave us a sweet new ride that isn't a minivan." Nevaeh just shrugged her shoulders, not understanding a word of what her Mama just said. But apparently it was something good.

Long after they'd set the baby seats up in the new SUV and everyone had taken a ride in the new car, the group took their leave, letting the Summers women get settled into their new life.

It became quickly apparent it would be awhile before they could get into some form of routine, but they'd managed to get Nevaeh ready for bed between meeting the twins' needs. With one last feeding for both babies, they finally had a few hours to themselves and crashed into bed.

They spent a few moments just staring into each other's eyes with gentle kisses. This day had been long and it had been hard, but every moment had been worth it. They were home with all their daughters.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I will forever be grateful for you and everything you brought into my life," Faith whispered full of emotion.

"You loved me, nothing but that matters. And I feel exactly the same way. Saying 'I love you' will always be an understatement for how I feel. You are my soul-mate and I will forever be grateful that Nevaeh came into our life and showed us what should have been."

"I love you so much," Faith told her, placing a deep kiss on her lips. They both fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms, so close together you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. But that's the way it should be. They were one. They'd lived through one of life's great storms and came out on top and together. Proving that love is greater than anything else when it's with the one your heart truly belongs too. And Buffy and Faith's hearts were forever tied together through love and their daughters.

The daughters that would one day change the world, together.


End file.
